


Gatekeeper

by kilpuddin



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blackwatch Era, Blackwatch Genji Shimada, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Daddy Issues, F/M, Fluff, Hero Complex, Multi, Other, Possible smut, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shitty dads, Slow Burn, Smut, Trauma, We birthed this from being thirsty, Written by two people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 59,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kilpuddin/pseuds/kilpuddin
Summary: After exposing their antics to the organisation, two very different individuals are scouted to become members of Overwatch’s corrupt, covert operations unit: Blackwatch.Written by two people (Danni and Kat!) who explore angst through their respective OCs.Writing style may vary.
Relationships: Genji Shimada/Original Female Character(s), Jesse McCree/Original Character(s)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 17





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> We appreciate everyone who decides to click and give this a read.  
> We also understand it's not always peoples thing to read about other peoples OCs, but we promise we've put so much effort into their stories!  
> This first introduction chapter may be a little boring, but if you stick around we promise it gets juicy....
> 
> \- danni & kat

**Overwatch Air Base**   
**Anaheim**   
**10:27AM**

The waxy Californian leaves glistened in the summer heat: creating a thick, green sheath for the well-hidden, well-guarded Overwatch base within. A sleek carrier jet swiftly and silently swept across the clouds, disturbing the peace of the windless nature, causing a rustle and an eruption of exotic birds to batter their wings into the sky. Softly, the jet swerved onto its landing point as the large mechanical doors to its parking hub blasted open, the tiny orange-clothed men waving their arms to direct the landing. The exit point of the jet slid open; revealing a uniformed, heavy-booted man, his sleek, blonde hair curling against the whirring pound of the jet engines.

“Welcome back, Soldier 76,” greeted a well-spoken AI intercom as the man leapt from his position and landed firmly on the grated floor with a metallic thump, adjusting his wind-swept hair and blue trench coat with a heroic look on his face.

“Thank you, Athena,” he said, turning his full attention to what was waiting in front of him.

The two young women, both of whom still and observant, had immediately averted their attention to the older man. One of the faces struck familiar with him; she’d been the woman on the news, and their first target for recruitment — Romy Gasai, daughter of Saburo Gasai and, as of recent news, his infamous traitor. Her thick, onyx hair was a dead giveaway of her family’s heritage. She was on the taller side, and her thick eyebrows contrasted her soft features. Romy gave a hard, impatient blink.

“You can stop staring,” she sighed out, perhaps out of embarrassment rather than frustration. “We’ve all seen the news. We all know who I am. Can you move onto _her_ now?”

The smaller Hispanic woman straightened from her slouched position as if preparing for roll call. It looked as if she were in roughened hand-me-downs, with stitches and patches in the position of rips. Her hair was more on the coarser side, braided in a long plait that looked as if she’d slept in it for a few days. Although hidden by stray hairs, Soldier noticed the long flesh-coloured scar that grazed the peak of her cheekbone.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you both,” he stated firmly, reaching out a gloved hand to present them with a formal greeting. Both girls glance down at his hand, but neither of them attempt to reciprocate the offer and shake his hand.

A petite, tanned woman in a similar blue uniform stepped off the ship and presented herself in front of the girls, stifling a laugh. “Don’t scare them off just yet, Jack,” she teased, a small smile gracing her lips, reaching her eyes with a sparkle as he retreated his hand and cleared his throat.

“Ladies,” the woman turned, her smile now only half the size it was before, one brow raised. “This is Commander Jack Morrison,” she introduced, then pointing towards herself briefly. “I’m Captain Amari, but please, call me Ana.” Her eyes quickly focused on the shorter girl. “You needn’t introduce yourselves. I know who _you_ are, Sofia Hermendez.”

The two girls, although strangers themselves, exchanged a glance of uncertainty before the smallest turned back to Ana with a perked brow. Sofia had generally gone unknown for most of her life, only making a name for herself in the small town of Dorado when she’d joined the infamous anti-social gang, Los Muertos, performing heists, small robberies, and overall causing a bit of a ruckus. She had an attractive set of skills that lured Overwatch in, and a definite sense of innocence which triggered the saviour complex within Ana Amari.

“You might know my name… but I’m sure you don’t know me as well as you might think,” she responded, her tone slow and almost lazy, thick with her accent. She came off as defensive; almost cocky, but the Commander and General were unphased by this attitude, having seen and dealt with it many times.

“And I’m sure you’re right,” Ana responded, crossing her hands in front of her before nodding backwards to the jet behind her. “So why don’t we get to know you a little better?”

“Hope that means we’re finally getting a move on,” Romy spoke after a small pause, picking up her large carry-on. “My ass hurts from sitting down waiting for so long.”

The Commander saw this as an opportunity, stepping to the side and extending his arm towards the ship, inviting the girls on board. “Ladies first.”

* * *

**Overwatch Headquarters**   
**Zürich, Switzerland**   
**3:02PM**

Sofia squinted against the harsh flurry of light as they stepped off of the carrier jet, the air now cooler against her skin than she’d ever been used to. She tried to analyse her surroundings; smell, sight — it was all a very foreign experience and she definitely felt out of place.

“Welcome to the Overwatch Headquarters,” Commander Morrison declared, spreading his arms as the four of them began their walk from the landing quarters to the front entrance of the magnificently sized building; sunlight sparkling off of the large, crystalised windows. The Overwatch logo beamed in the sunlight above the twelve-feet tall doors, a symbol of peace and hope to the people. It stood proud amongst lush gardens and nature, flourishing with brightly coloured flowers and singing birds that, whilst in the depth of a rough city, Sofia had never heard before.

Rather observant herself, Romy couldn’t help but notice the almost bewildered expression on the face of the girl next to her. “You’re a _real_ city girl, aren’t you?”

Sofia perked an amused smile. “I knew these sort of places existed… my sister used to tell me stories,” she said whimsically, eyes roving over the building. “But I never thought I’d see it for myself.”

“Believe me,” Romy chuckled dryly, widening her eyes ever so slightly and shifting them to the side. “Little to nothing out there holds much interest anymore.” Romy had never been shy of money, she’d travelled just about everywhere twice. Her father owned a huge corporation which, unbeknownst to her until the age of thirteen, specialised in weaponry and producing mercenary omnic bots. Sofia, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. The mexican girl had resorted to crime at an early age, mostly petty theft, in order to provide food for her struggling family, so she was a little bewildered that Romy could find this experience anything less than mind-blowing.

As they stepped through the automatic doors, a small, hovering omnic beamed out a blue light which scanned over the leading man of the group. A grid appeared over the Soldiers body before the Omnic switched off the lights and chortled with approval.

“Welcome back, Commander Morrsion!” The omnic chattered, switching over to Ana Amari next, where it repeated its pleased process before pausing at the girls and turning red, zoning in on them both.

“They are with us.” Ana said, simply raising her hand which seemed to appease the omnic, who nodded before zipping it's scanning light off and whizzing away. The General wafted her blue trench coat behind her, taking swift steps towards the vast opening of the central hub of the Overwatch Headquarters. Chattering and silicone footsteps filled the air, with mechanics, cleaners and rookie trainees adorning a brightly coloured orange Overwatch t-shirt, separating themselves from the specialist soldiers who wore unique gear and were spotted pacing around like they always had somewhere to be.

“Sofia, Romy,” Ana began, turning to the two girls once again. “We’ll see to it that you are taken to your rooms for the time being.” The elder lady glanced over at the Commander next to her, before nudging him.

The soldier tuned in straight away, clearing his throat before speaking. “It’s no secret that  
you two have gained an impressive set of skills throughout your lives. And we’re aware that you two have participated in your fair share of combat.” He paced slowly, cautious and thoughtful, unsure of how the girls would react to his next sentence. “Which is why we’re keeping training to a minimum for the time being. We already have something planned out for you this evening.”

The girls weren’t shocked. They were young, but not naive. Not anymore, anyway. Sofia had grown up in the thick of the war, in a city that wasn’t so glamorised and protected by modern technology and economic success. As such, her survival instincts were always rearing to go and she was always making decisions that would essentially keep her alive, whether it was comfortable (or legal for that matter) or not. Although she turned her nose up at it, Sofia’s mother would never turn away questionably obtained fresh baked goods, or coins that Sofia had obtained from pick-pocketing or selling stolen jewellery. When her sister was given a generous scholarship to study at the Oasis University, Sofia was immediately shunned and left to fend on the streets of Dorado for herself, before Ana Amari had sought her out.

Romy Gasai had an understanding that there was no other choice than Overwatch. Caught red-handed on national television, gunning down her father’s men and rebelling against her very own family had given her quite the infamy. It was no secret to the public that Saburo Gasai was a bad man - there had even been rumors that he had been a supplier for the terrorist organisation Talon. She didn’t like to think about him, though, or her family all together.

“Assuming that that message was received, let’s move along, shall we?” Jack continued, when he received no vocal response. He nodded to himself, tugging on the ends of his blue blazer before leading them towards a well-lit hallway, which was less busy than the ones before. Again he was scanned with a blue-grid light before the doors eased open as an intercom said “access granted”, and the other three followed on, hot on his tail. “Now, these are the sleeping quarters,” he stated, reaching to the inside of his jacket to pull out two white, hard key cards which he handed to the two girls. “All the rooms are the same. You’ll have a bed, a closet, a desk, storage space and a private washroom. Make yourselves comfortable,” he directed calmly, watching as the girls looked at the designated numbers on their key-cards before finding the door that matched.

In the distance, watching the girls wander down the hallway, Ana leaned towards Jack with a sly look on her face.

“I think this is going to work out just fine,” she muttered, squeezing a hand on his bicep in a comforting manner, feeling as the tautness of his muscles released. “I told you we had nothing to worry about.”

Jack let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe you’re right,” he considered, watching as the girls scanned their key cards and entered their separate rooms. “We really need a little bit of hope around here,” he added, almost forlornly. “I’m getting the feeling that people are giving up on us.”

Ana smiles warmly. “They’re just scared, Jack,” she reminded him softly. He nodded stiffly before the two of them turned on their heel and made their way towards the meeting room where they would be discussing the girls position.

Sofia stood silently at her open doorway as she was met with the smell of fresh sheets and lemon-scented air freshener. It was quite a plain room as she speculated it might be, but the bed looked soft and warm, and sunlight poured in from the massive all-window wall on the far end of the room.

From across the hall, Romy thought to herself that it looked like a regular hotel space, though she was pleasantly surprised by the amount of wardrobe and storage space supplied. It smelled nice, and had clearly been well thought out to give the girls everything they needed. Pondering for a moment, she gently clicked and locked the door behind her before releasing a tension sigh, dropping her duffel bag at her side. As an organised individual, and maybe a little bit of a control freak, she immediately tipped out the contents of the bag, consisting of small trinkets and mostly clothes, and began placing them around the room. She pulled open the wardrobe door, expecting to be met with nothing but the back of it, and realised that there were maybe five or six outfits already hung up and ready for her. Upon closer inspection, she realised they were even in her size.

Rubbing nylon material between her fingers, Sofia was thankful that she had new, clean clothes readily available, including a standard overwatch catsuit, T shirts, sweatpants, alongside a new pair of soft sneakers and a drawer full of plain socks and underwear. She almost worried that she’d have to pay the price for all of this one day.

The girls settled in and explored their rooms for a short while, taking a well needed break after running on adrenaline for the whole day. Unsure of what was in store for them tonight, they would wait with fluttering stomachs full of anticipation.


	2. Conference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Morrison holds a meeting introducing Sofia and Romy, where we meet new superiors and other characters. At the end of the chapter, Romy bumps into somebody she recognises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Chapter two teases something a little more exciting, but doesn't even scratch the surface of what's about to come! Danni and I have been working super hard on this. I hope you're enjoying!
> 
> \- Kat

**Overwatch Headquarters** ****  
**Zürich, Switzerland** **  
** **6:54 PM**

Romy had just finished powdering her face after a well-deserved shower when she heard a soft knocking on her door. Placing her make-up aside, she brushed the stray powder off of her lap before standing and opening the door to reveal Commander Morrison with an Overwatch-uniform adorning Sofia, tying her hair into a fresh, soft looking braid. Romy smiled to herself when she realised the first thing both girls had done was take advantage of the somewhat luxurious shower, given that they were itchy from their adventurous day. 

“Glad to see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” he commented, causing Romy to perk a groomed brow for a moment. 

“Well, I’m going to be staying here for a while, aren’t I?” She answered back, following it with a soft smile to show him that she was only teasing. “I do understand why I’m here, what position I’m in,” she reaffirmed. The Commander nodded, a smile barely ghosting his lips before he was back to his “I’m a serious leader” attitude, and he gestured for the girls to follow him. 

He took them through winding, foreign hallways with such ease, but Sofia felt a little sick to her stomach at the thought of being in a building so large it might cover the entirety of her hometown, and she knew that they’d barely scratched the surface. Though, maybe she’d hate to admit it, she was still very excited to be experiencing this, and thought of it as a gift and as great an opportunity as Romy might too. 

Suddenly Commander opened two large black-tinted windowed doors to a large meeting complex, large, dark and discreet, scattered with an abundance of important looking men and women, some of whom lounged lazily on the Italian-leather swinging desk chairs around the sleek, glass meeting table, and others who sat straight and poised and saluted to the Soldier upon his immediate presence. Sofia couldn’t quite pinpoint Overwatch — it had a very different feel to the military that occasionally visited Dorado, and almost seemed more of a family than simply a hierarchy of who rules who. 

Confidently, Jack seemed to skip down the stairs to the meeting platform before he took a seat in the largest chair at the dead centre of the table, and the two girls joined the side of their recently acquaintanced Captain, Ana Amari. Upon clearing his throat, the quiet chatter halted and everyone turned their attention to the Commander. 

“Now, as you are all very aware, we have two new recruits joining us,” he began, nodding and gesturing towards the two girls. Sofia sat unmoved whilst Romy smiled, her eyes roving over all the other people who stared them both down. “From keeping a close watch and using analytical programs we can determine that both of these girls are certainly gifted,” he continued, swiping his hand over the surface of the sleek table to reveal a hologram of controls, where he scuffled through files and documents before pulling up what seemed to be recorded profiles of both of the girls and swiping both of the documents into the air, enhancing the holographic image for everyone around the table to see. “But we know that they may require some fine-tuning to make them the suitable soldiers we know that they can be.” 

With wonder and somewhat vulnerability, both of the girls stared up at the holographic profiles of themselves, a little shocked that there’d been footage captured and analysed of them both. Romy would’ve been nonchalant to it all, but she felt on edge when she realised that this was a  _ different _ time instead of when she’d been exposed, which means that she’d been being watched for a much longer time than she’d suspected.

In Sofia’s video, she is clothed to the point where it’d be hard to identify her. She had a zip-up jacket with the hood tossed over her head, a hand-made face cloth exposing only her eyes, where she was easily identified as a member of Los Muertos by the neon-green skull face paint. She had a large bag on her back, one of which she knew was full of stolen goods, and wouldn’t be surprised if Overwatch had that kind of intel, too. With just her hands, she’d managed to take down a few members of the small rival gang of Los Muertos, some of which were armed with baseball bats and one with a machete. It was all a big dog-fight for the scraps of stolen goods, but eventually Sofia had taken each man down, escaping only with a machete slash on her right arm which had torn open her jacket and revealed her skin underneath. It was hard to tell whether the men she’d attacked had died, but it was clear that at the minimum that they’d suffered injuries that would keep them off the streets for a while.

Everyone had watched, nobody had spoken. 

Romy’s holoclip was next and, unlike Sofia’s, it had been taken directly from a news report. It began half way through aerial footage of a burning arms factory, one well known to be owned by Romy’s father’s company, Gasai Tech. The video shows multiple beings, omnic and human, fleeing from the factory, littered with wounds and caked in soot as the smoke followed them close by. Another figure fled the building but stopped in its tracks, before extending an arm towards the Gasai employees, fire soon spitting out towards them and engulfing them whole. It took them less than a second to die, their bodies disintegrating right before the public’s eyes. The deaths were gruesome. And it was all captured on live television. As the camera zoomed in, amidst the smoke and wind, a young woman was revealed. Her long, onyx hair was almost instantly blown out of the way, the perfect giveaway of her face in front of thousands. Romy Gasai, the head of Gasai Tech’s one and only daughter. The clip was soon after cut short.

Romy had been the only one not watching. Her chin rested on her intertwined hands as she stared into the space in front of her, musing to herself.

The silence was too much for her.

“Flawless, wasn’t it?” She let out a small huff, it was closer to a dry chuckle than anything else. It didn’t take long for her bemused expression to drop, though, as she added. “I was always too careful - thought I had it all planned out. But he was one step ahead of me.”

A roughed-up, scarred man spoke after Romy, almost instantly directing the conversation elsewhere. Sporting dark gear and a red and white, alternate version of the Overwatch logo, he leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat. “Once upon a time you slated me for hiring McCree because he’s an outlaw, Jack,” he said gruffly, rolling his eyes, “and now you’re hiring two criminals, and a renowned one at that?”

Out of the corner of her eye Sofia noticed a man adorning heavy black military gear and a cowboy hat peek up from staring down at his arms. He had soft eyes and sharp features, with a spotting of stubble around his face. Romy, all too disturbed from reliving her exposure, had missed her opportunity to recognize him, and her gaze hardened on the roughed-up man who didn’t reciprocate her stare.

“Times are changing, Reyes,” Soldier 76 continued, placing both of his hands flat upon the table and closing the holographic files. “Before I thought that your decision to recruit Jesse was controversial… Now I realise that we need every bit of man-power we can get. The people out there are vulnerable, and it is our job to protect them, and give them hope.”

“We know the risks,” Ana added, ensuring that Reyes did not get another comment across, ensuring that the atmosphere stayed as least tense as she could make it. “But you did see something in McCree, just as we see something in these two girls,” she finished, nodding to herself.

Reyes shrugged his shoulders and rubbed a hand over his face. “Well… who am I to argue? It’s in your hands.”

Jack and Captain Ana shared a somewhat uneasy glance, before the woman nodded at the Commander, as if to encourage him. He cleared his throat before leaning forwards to speak again to Reyes. 

“Actually, Gabriel…” he began, “we thought they’d be best suited to be under your command, in Blackwatch,” he stated. 

_ Blackwatch _ , both girls thought to themselves. A foreign word, but it's clear to them both what it stood for — the covert operation wing of Overwatch, perhaps where more controversial things took place that were best kept from the public eye. 

“Hang on,” Romy butted in, catching everyone's attention immediately. “How come we’ve had no say in this? We don’t even know what you’re trying to make us a part of,” she remarked, clearly a little agitated by the confusion she felt. Sofia felt relieved that Romy stuck up for the both of them. “We’re not just assets, or weapons…”

“I never agreed to this!” Gabriel exclaimed, standing abruptly to his feet. “ _ You’re _ the one in charge; you deal with them! You can’t just unload all your problems on me when you feel like it,” he growled, shaking his head. At this moment a quieter man threw back the hood off his head, revealing a metal mask and what seemed to be like red and black tubes running from his neck towards his back. 

“Actually, this may be exactly the kind of responsibility you need in order to manage your anger, Gabriel,” he quipped jokingly, his voice a little mechanical, though strong with a Japanese accent.

McCree scoffed. “You’re so selective when you talk yet you still manage to be an ass, Genji,” he shot back. 

“Unlike you, who doesn’t know when to stop talking,” he commented sarcastically, to which McCree then rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut due to a stern eye from Captain Amari. 

“Give it a month, Reyes,” Ana said, her tone soft and understanding. She definitely took a more motherly approach that seemed to soften Gabriel’s stature. “We will cover the physical and mental examinations, and from there you will train them as normal,” she explained to him, perking a brow as he rolled his eyes. “It was my idea to put you in charge, as I trust you’re the man for the job. Don’t disappoint me,” she finished, nodding her head.

Gabriel looked defeated as he sunk back into his chair and pressed his gloved fingers tuo his forehead. Commander Morrison stood to his feet and tugged at the hem of his blue trench coat, nodding to signal that the meeting was over. There was a scurrying of chair wheels on the black marble floor and the rustle of papers and notes being collected by the attendees. Romy and Sofia still felt extremely out of place, but followed the movement of the room and began making their way towards the exit. 

Everyone left the room with individual purpose, as if they had things to be getting on with, leaving the two new girls standing around without much engagement.

“I’m not sure about this whole thing,” Romy spoke out to Sofia after a few seconds of silence. “I know we don’t exactly have much of a choice, but I don’t do so well with authority figures.”

Sofia let out a soft laugh, the awkward tension quickly dissipating. “We  _ are _ criminals, after all.” 

“Damn right, you are,” a deep voice cut in, tuning into the conversation with a tip of his hat. “Long time no see, Rome.”


	3. Demonstration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eeeeeee i lost to mccree
> 
> \- d

**Canteen** **  
****7:42 AM**

Clutching a blue plastic tray in her hands, Sofia felt her stomach twisting with hunger at the sight of the huge variety of food being catered out in the cafeteria. She’d never once been at a buffet, and every ounce of her body was urging her to take as much as she could get. Once it was her turn to order from the server, she almost couldn’t decide.

“Could I get a serving of… scrambled eggs,” she began, her eyes roving over the glass screen. “And hash browns… beans, fried mushrooms…”

Romy was standing next to the hungry girl, watching it all fold out in front of her, eyes widening every so slightly as the girl escalated.

“...Ooh, French Toast, Romy I’ve never tried that before. What's that like?” 

“Too sweet for me,” Romy gave her opinion with a shrug, reaching over to grab a bottle of water. “Try it if you haven’t, though.”

Sofia nodded eagerly, then pointing towards the glass, “and can I get some butter croissants, too?” 

“Why don’t you just give her one of everything?” Romy sighed, exchanging a look with the omnic server. “And I’ll have some of the granola, please.”

To say the two looked ridiculous was an understatement. Romy had ended up carrying an extra tray for Sofia’s food all the way to their table. The two girls had been oblivious to just how much “one of everything” meant.

Once they sat down in a reserved corner, Romy watched as the smaller girl in front of her began to devour the food. The half-Japanese girl had no idea how Sofia even knew where to begin, as she herself even began toying with her yogurt and granola with her plastic spoon, her thoughts otherwise occupied. 

“Y’know, you’re in my spot, ladies,” an all too familiar voice began. There was little to no time to respond before Jesse McCree plonked himself down next to Romy and spoke directly into her ear. “But you’re newbies, so I’ll allow it. Just this once.”

Genji slowly sat himself opposite McCree besides Sofia, his plate consisting of a simple miso soup and a cup of water, whereas McCree’s plate was loaded with proteins such as bacon rashers and sausages and a box of apple juice. 

“How kind of you,” Romy quipped back with a perk of her eyebrows, seemingly unbothered as she took another spoonful of granola. There was a small silence that followed as everyone began to eat their food, but McCree couldn’t help but glance over at the girl opposite him with a bemused expression, who seemed to have a heap of food and was getting through it without so much as a breather.

“Well, you know me,” he turned his attention back to his old friend. “I don’t like to leave people feelin’ all alone, like they got nowhere to go.”

Romy understood the reference to their past loud and clear. After all, McCree _had_ been the one to help her find her place within the Deadlock Gang. If it wasn’t for him, she would’ve had nowhere else to go. She let out a small laugh, again playing with her food as she began to feel sentimental. 

Sofia glanced down at the small black bowl in front of her filled with miso soup, something she didn’t recognise yet was still heartily delighted to try. She peeked over at Genji, who only had a third of his dish left.

“What’s this?” She asked, filling up a spoonful.

Genji and Romy exchanged a look, almost as if they _sensed_ how ridiculous it sounded to the both of them. In sync, they answered, “miso soup.”

Cautiously, Sofia tried a small sip. Before it had even passed her lips it was overwhelmingly salty and rich, and she let it sit on her tongue for a moment before swallowing visibly reluctantly. It wasn’t what she expected out of a breakfast meal, but then she couldn’t imagine herself eating it at all, regardless of serving hours. 

“That was… good,” she nodded, placing the spoon back into the bowl and wiping her hands off on her trousers.

McCree, Romy and even Genji all laughed in sync, knowing the hispanic girl was just trying to be polite.

“It tastes like shit,” McCree spoke honestly, observing Sofia with an amused smile still sticking to his face. She glanced back at him, suddenly feeling a little nervous under his heavy gaze.

“It’s an acquired taste, actually,” Romy added out of pettiness. “Your taste buds are just fucked. Probably from all the grease you consume.”

McCree socked her on the shoulder playfully. “That’s called real American food, darlin’,” he teased. “Maybe you should try some,” he added, grabbing her wrist and fitting it between two fingers. 

She snatched her wrist away, giving the cowboy a disgusted look. “Call me skinny all you want, I’d be able to throw you down in a heartbeat.”

“You wanna put that to the test?” McCree teased, with a hint of seriousness in his tone. 

“Stop looking for an excuse to touch me, pervert.”

“C’mon, Rome, don’t expose me like that,” he played along, looking at Sofia out of the side of his eye and winking at her.

* * *

**Blackwatch Training Centre  
** **9:00 AM**

“Considering we have a few newcomers… let me go over the basics,” Gabriel stated, almost a little reluctantly. He glanced down from his platform at the four participants, all of which adorned themselves in standard Blackwatch athletic gear. “I expect you two here everyday at nine AM sharp, no exceptions,” he stated, holding his hands firmly behind his back. “Each day we’ll work on different skills… combat, resilience, firearm handling, until I deem you ready enough,” he continued, pacing back and forth. “Today, Romy and Sofia, you’ll both undergo a quick fitness check. We’ll run you through stamina and fighting simulations, just to get an idea of where you’re at… Genji and McCree will show you the ropes today. Romy, you’ll go first.”

Before she could react, McCree took her by the elbow gently and guided her across the room, towards an enclosed glass room. He handed her a bracelet and snapped it onto her left wrist.

“It can get a little intense in there, so just have your wits about you,” he commented, “we can monitor you through the glass but this bracelet will tell us everything about your, uh, performance.” 

Before she had the chance to ask any questions, she’d been ushered through the doors and they were locked behind her. The once dark room suddenly lit up with an abundance of colours as she stepped into the middle of the room. Feeling a little unprepared, she turned herself away from the glass window where she would be watched to gather her focus. Looking around the room, she furled her brows at the emptiness, unsure what exactly to expect.

Romy formed her stance and took a deep breath, fists raised in preparation and expectancy. 

It happened all of a sudden, an omnic bot running towards Romy from around the corner of the glass room. She kept her eyes on it for any sudden moves, but it seemed to be barreling towards her without thought. With one fluid motion, she struck it in the chest with a strong kick, sending it flying on it’s back. Romy advanced on the omnic, fists still raised, watching as it laid for a few seconds before standing up as if there was no opponent present. The onyx-haired girl tilted her head in slight confusion, watching its behaviour.

“Is this it?” Sofia commented under her breath, folding her arms. McCree shrugged nonchalantly.

“Trust me, it gets harder,” he commented, leading his gaze towards Gabe who held a tablet in his hand, controlling the intensity of the bots in the simulation room.

Romy turned towards the glass window, looking at the people watching her. “Is this a joke?” As she spoke, the heavy footsteps of multiple omnics thundered forward from behind her. She turned, now facing _six_ omnic bots. “Oh, okay, I see how this works,” she grumbled, brushing hair from her face before regaining her stance.

Something switched, Romy could tell because the omnics somehow seemed more aware this time, something about their form and body language gave it away. And as if in a fraction of a second, a heavy metal arm was swinging at her. She caught it, pushing the bot away from her using it. Another two of the bots advanced on her, she ducked when one swang for her and rolled along the floor using the momentum, quickly getting back to her feet. Now behind one of the bots, she gave a forceful kick and vaulted it into the other bot, both crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

These omnics were heavier than the first, so she found herself panting slightly already. Facing the next wave, another two, lighter looking bots attacked. These were seemingly faster with their movements, Romy having to catch and block each punch with more effort than the last. When she began to counter attack, her swift punch to one of the metal heads gave her an all too familiar, searing pain along her knuckles. It wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

Romy’s temper was like a ticking time-bomb and she could feel herself reaching her limit. This was an insult to her, this was a cake walk compared to what her dad would have in store for her. If she was going to show off, she wanted more of a challenge - and she was going to get it. Within a few seconds, she had one of the omnic bots on its back, stepping on its throat and crushing it until it deactivated. The last two bots stalked towards her, and she lured them towards the wall at the back of the room. Allowing one of the bots to grab her, as she predicted, she was slammed against the wall facing forward. With effort, she brought her legs up and pushed against the wall, the force throwing the omnic holding her backwards, straight into the one behind it. They tumbled to the ground, Romy being the first to stand up and make sure they were staying put.

Romy’s skin boiled with anger, her internal temperature rising as her mood deteriorated. Her anger stemmed from the sensation of victimisation, or underestimation that resonated in her the same way it did when her father constantly mocked her when she was younger. She was sick of trying to prove herself, and at this direct moment she wanted to prove herself for the last time — screw Reyes, screw Overwatch, and screw her standing reputation. She felt like she was going to _erupt._

Suddenly the lights went black, shutting her into darkness. Like the flip of a switch, her anger dissipated into curious confusion, but her fight or flight system stayed alight as she clenched her fists in anticipation. A strobe of glowing light caught her attention and she flipped around, noticing a growing, flickering abundance of red lights lighting up, slowly but surely taking the shape of Genji’s helmet and gear.

Initially, she was a little surprised. Following that, she felt pumped.

“Is this enough of a challenge for you?” Genji asked, lifting his head to reveal a glint in his eye as the lights in the room strengthened back to normal. Romy cracked her knuckles. She didn’t know him, she didn’t know how well he could fight, but from that phrase alone she thought he was in over his head. The cyborg lifted his hands to his face and pressed the release lock on his metal mask, and with a gush of air it released and he smiled as he placed it upon a platform. “Just to make it fair.”

Romy scoffed, blowing a long strand of hair out of her face. “Show me what you got,” she quipped, readying her stance. There was a tense pause before they immediately lunged for one another. At first it was a back and forth spar of similar fighting techniques, both seemingly blocking the others' attempt at impact. Romy got the upper hand in a swift kick to his abdomen, stalling him for a moment before he regained his footing, caught her next forearm blow and snatched her into a headlock.

“You almost got me there,” he said, his muscles flexing around her neck. Romy smiled to herself before jabbing her elbow into his side and tossing him over her shoulders onto the floor, proceeding to hold him in an armbar. 

“What was that about _almost_?” She shot back, an obviously smug smile on her face. Genji grunted, twisting his arm into a position that loosened her grip before he hoisted himself to his feet with a kip up maneuver. Romy quickly followed, delivering a leg sweep that was dodged with a swift jump from her opponent. Genji managed to snag a fast blow to her ribs, knocking the wind out of her before delivering a roundhouse kick — though Romy caught this leg with a strong force before it made contact. This wasn’t enough, however, because in a split second Genji’s other foot was flying towards her face.

Sofia winced at the sickening sound of metal-on-flesh impact, watching as her new friend fell to the ground from the strike. Romy balanced herself on her elbows, her eyes flooding from the shock of the impact as the ear on the affected side began to ring violently. She struggled to pull herself into an upright position before she gave up and let herself plant on the floor. The silence that followed was awkward between the onlookers, but Gabe almost looked proud of himself. 

Genji stood tall, breathing heavily. He paused at the sight of the girl on the floor, feeling a pang of guilt for not pulling his kick so much. He crouched beside her as she rolled onto her back, and he outstretched a hand to her.

“You put up a good fight—”

She stared at the ceiling, ignoring his gesture of good sportsmanship before she forced herself to shake off the thumping pain and she stood to her feet by herself. The room swam in front of her eyes, but after a moment she gathered herself enough to snatch off her wristband, threw it to the floor and then stormed through the door. 

McCree sucked in a breath, “oh boy,” he murmured, watching as she slammed her way through the exit doors and wandered off. “I’ll go check on her,” he finished, giving a tight nod before he swiftly followed the girls path to the exit.

“Right. You’re up next,” Gabe insisted, picking the wristband up off the floor and snapping it onto her wrist. “Don’t embarrass yourself,” he stated, nodding at Genji who slinked out of the room and stood so he could observe Sofia in the training simulation room.


	4. Cherry Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember we said juicy? ;)
> 
> \- kat (danni)

**Canteen  
** ******8:19 AM**

The following morning, Sofia is sat with an almost empty plate in the same corner of the cafeteria with her fellow Blackwatch members, save for Romy. It was more quiet than usual, not for the lack of her presence but for the solemn feeling that hung in the air around them. Following yesterday's brawl with Genji and Romy, Sofia completed the test with a near perfect score par for a few slip ups that were to be expected out of a rookie. 

“So…” McCree drawled, sucking the dregs with an annoying slurp from his milk box to break the silence. “You tried the pancakes?”

Sofia gave him a slight side-eye. “They taste the same as yesterday.”

He nodded, poking his bacon rasher with a fork. “Hmm.”

Sofia hummed to herself, staring off in the distance over to the serving table, curious as to what other food there was as she sat unsatisfied with her plate. It's less exciting when you’ve tried it all at once. She noticed the back of a girl grabbing her own serving, her hair falling to her shoulders in a bold, red colour. Thinking nothing of it, Sofia turned to return to her food before she quickly noticed a glance of the girls side profile as she turned away from the buffet. Shooting a double-glance, she noticed the red-haired girl made her way over before seating herself next to them all.

“Romy?” McCree started, looking taken aback. 

The once black-haired girl sat down with her food, this time situating herself right next to Genji. It didn’t seem to bother her one bit, sitting next to her opponent who had beaten her by a mile the previous day, as she placed down her tray and looked over at McCree almost obliviously. “Yes?”

Sofia stopped half-chew, staring at Romy's hair. It was a bold statement, almost complimenting the spotting of bruises on the left side of her face, accompanied by a busted lip that looked like it left the taste of blood in her mouth. It looked painful, but almost as if she wore it as a statement. 

“You look different,” he said, “hmm… somethin’ about your eyes.”

Romy rolled her eyes in response to his remark, a soft smirk gracing her lips. “I was tired of the whole long, black, Gasai-hair thing, y’know,” she explained, though she knew that was an understatement. Last night she’d given into the idea of cutting her own hair and dying it a bright, cherry red. It was roughly cut, uneven… you’d know a professional didn’t do it. Romy didn’t really care for the opinions that would form on it.

“I think it suits you,” Genji commented nonchalantly, quietly taking a bite of his food. Romy paused for a moment, staring at him almost as if trying to read if he had an ultimate motive behind his words. With a tight smile, she nodded in acknowledgement. 

“You missed Sofia’s simulation yesterday,” McCree started, patting a firm and unexpected hand on Sofia’s shoulder. “She aced it!”

“I didn’t ace it,” Sofia muttered under her breath, lowering her head.

“That's a load of bull—”

“Good job, Sofia,” Romy said sincerely, smiling softly at her uncomfortable looking friend. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

“Y’were too busy recovering from getting your ass kicked,” McCree laughed, teasing his old friend as usual. 

There was a silence that lasted a few seconds after the comment, one that made Sofia watch Romy like she was watching a scary movie, waiting for some sort of jumpscare to happen. Surprisingly, it didn’t come.

Romy’s laughter was almost identical to McCree’s, and it was surprisingly genuine. “That’s true,” she agreed, spooning some of her granola up. “That’s the first and _last_ time you get one up on me, though,” she added, giving Genji a side-look that showed she meant business, before putting her spoon full in her mouth.

Genji’s eyes remained on his food as he listened, and he gave all but a smile in response. 

“Sorry about your face.”

* * *

**Blackwatch Training Centre  
** **9:12 AM**

It was almost as if there was something different about Romy. And it wasn’t just the hair. When they entered the training room once again, she was first to walk through the doors. There was an aura of confidence surrounding her, except it lacked the cockiness and naivety she’d displayed the day before.

This time, Reyes wasn’t present. He’d left McCree and Genji in charge, handing them their own task of monitoring the girls’ weaknesses to work on and eliminate them throughout the following months before they would be assessed. If they succeeded, they’d become fully-fledged Blackwatch agents. Regardless of this unique opportunity, Sofia couldn’t help but think that this all felt a little manufactured, and very unusual from her life just less than a week ago. 

Romy was across the room from the others, taping her fists as she readied herself to attempt the simulation training again, only this time she accessed the control tablet herself and set the intensity to maximum. Herself and Genji made eye contact for a moment, but Romy quickly turned away and disappeared as the black-tinted doors slid shut behind her.

“Y’ever used a gun before?” McCree questioned, resting his elbow on the gun and blaster rack that Sofia was browsing. She looked up at him with an incredulous expression, picking a small pistol and cocking it. “Alright then… Let’s see that aim,” he commented, pressing a button on the side of the gun rack. Ahead of them, dummies with target boxes started lining up. Standing on the designated red strip, Sofia steadied the gun in her hands to take the first shot. 

_Bang_.

The first shot hit the head of the target, though it was wildly off centre. In a combat situation it might have been a miss. The light dimmed on the target, though, indicating it was a fatal shot. 

_Bang, bang._

Critical hit to the heart of the target, followed by a double-tap to ensure the kill. 

The last target started whirring into vision, and with fast fingers she turned to hit the shot. She squeezed on the trigger.

_Bang_.

Dead-centre headshot.

For a split second the air left Sofia’s lungs, almost as if she’d been teleported from one universe to another. The atmosphere was dark but familiar in her hometown of Dorado, and the smell of gunpowder filled her nose as she looked down at the limp body ahead of her. It felt as if she were dreaming, but it was too familiar; her younger, impressionable self, with blood on her hands.

“Not bad,” McCree said, slapping her shoulder with praise. It knocked her back into reality and she swallowed her thoughts, regaining her composure. “But here, let me show you somethin’...” he started, gently stepping behind her before reaching for her elbows and repositioning them ever so slightly. “Lean just a smidge more,” he instructs, “and don’t be so tense.”

Sofia took a breath as she peered down the barrel of the firearm to the target. She _knew_ it would be a direct hit. His words were helpful but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to pull the trigger anymore. Deftly, she lowered her arms. 

“C’mon, Sof,” the cowboy encouraged, the nickname falling easily from his lips. “Why the hesitation?”

She pursed her lips. “I think I’m better with a knife.”

“Y’don’t like guns all of sudden? Where’d that confidence go, huh?” 

“You don’t think it's more impressive to kill someone with a knife over a gun?” She asked, placing the firearm back onto the gun rack. “So… American.”

“No, actually, I personally don’t,” McCree said smugly. “And thank you, I'm a huge patriot, actually. Proud to exercise the right to bear arms.”

“Good thing we’re in Switzerland, then,” Sofia clapped back, scrunching her nose. The latina walked over to where Genji was training, examining a rack full of swords by the wall. Her eyes scanned for a moment, before they locked onto a smaller rack filled with combat and throwing knives. “Perfect.”

When she turned around, Jesse was watching her every move. “I mean, it’s my job to make sure you can aim,” he protested, eyeing the knife in her hand.

Sofia played with it, gently feeling at the blade and assessing its sharpness. Her eyes flicked back up to meet McCree’s and she gave a tiny smile. “Why? ‘You scared of what I can do?”

“What _would_ that be exactly, ma’am?” He questioned, lifting his hat to adjust it. 

“Can we turn the lights out in here?” Sofia asked, a little too politely that it made the man across from her skeptical. 

“Now, now,” McCree started, unsure of what the girl had planned. “What would you wanna do that for?”  
“Maybe you’ll have to just wait and see,” Sofia shrugged, looking over at Genji who now held the tablet. “The lights, please?”

Genji listened, pressing a remote button that caused metal sliders to completely cover over the large glass windows of the training centre. He paused for a moment by the light switches, waiting for her ready.

“Send some bots out,” she added, rolling her shoulders and dancing the knife in her hand. With another press of a button, omnics started to come to life from different sections of the room. She nodded at Genji who proceeded to press a few more buttons, dimming them all into an almost complete darkness, until only the soft glow of the odd few back-up lights still dotted around the room were all that could be seen.

Nothing other than the whirring of bots could be heard among the silently observing Blackwatch members. Red detection rays starting beaming from the head of the robots in an attempt to detect her life force, but to no avail. The sound of sizzling sparks and robots powering down started to echo around the room, until the last detection ray from the bot fizzled out to darkness again. Sofia zipped across the room with near-silent steps until she reached the light switch and powered them up again, revealing the lifeless mess of the bots scattered around the room.

The ninja was impressed, of course, giving the girl a nod of admiration when she glanced over for his reaction.

“Well, I’ll be damned.”

* * *

**9:32 PM  
** **Overwatch Sleeping Quarters**

Sofia sat at her desk, wringing her damp hair out with a towel as she vaguely listened to the faint volume of the news channel on her television when she heard a soft knocking at her door. Creasing her brows, she stood to her feet and opened the door gently, peeking through the gap. 

Romy stood there in loose clothing. Her new, electric red hair was still damp from her shower. “I’m insanely bored. Care for some social interaction?”

Sofia couldn’t help but smile a little, and she leaned backwards to create more space for Romy to step into. “Sure.”

The redhead stepped into the room, sighing to herself as the other closed the door. “I’m kinda mad that I missed out on seeing you fight, _again_ ,” she complained, turning her full attention to Sofia. “But from the sounds of it, you really impressed Cree. What did you _do_?”

“I guess I just showed him there’s better things to do than just… shooting a gun,” Sofia explained with a shrug. “I’ve never been a huge fan of them.”

“People who use guns are boring,” Romy chuckled, sitting herself on the edge of the room’s bed. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Jesse’s aim is pretty much impeccable but...”

“ _Yes_ , exactly,” Sofia agreed. “Guns feel too mechanical. Like death machines. People get in over their head when they’re holding one.”

Romy shrugged, gently pressing the cut on her lip. The words Sofia said resonated in her in some respect, reminding her of how overwhelmingly unbalanced her relationship with her power can be. 

“So, how do you know McC—”

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion from live-footage of the news interrupted their conversation. They both turned their heads to the television, abandoning their conversation. 

“As you can see here we are documenting live, raw footage of the streets of Switzerland as they are terrorised by a new wave of Omnics,” the news reporter began, speaking in her native language as the subtitles translated it for the girls. 

Sofia picked up the remote and switched the television off before they could hear more. She wasn’t all too keen on listening to more death and destruction, considered she’d been in contact with it less than a month ago herself. 

“What’s happening to the world?” Romy wondered out loud, following her comment with a deep sigh as the girl beside her stared blankly at the bleak wall. She squeezed Sofia’s hand in a friendly comforting way before she stood to her feet. “On that note… I’ll leave you to get some rest.”

Sofia smiled tightly. “Okay; Goodnight.”

Romy opened the door and waved goodbye to Sofia before gently clicking it shut behind her. Hesitating for a moment, she watched as a hooded Genji scanned himself into his room down the hallway. He looked up for a moment, his eyes barely visible between his mask and hood, almost as if he _knew_ he was being watched. They held a brief moment of eye-contact before Romy snapped her head away with her hand to her bruised cheek and let herself into her room. 


	5. Prevention Duty

**2 Weeks Later**

**Blackwatch Training Centre** **  
****9:34 AM**

“Good. You’ve both improved.” Commander Reyes stated, watching as Romy and Sofia pulled away from one another, lowering their guards and shaking hands as their sparring session drew to an end. “Just in time for your first mission.”

The two girls exchanged a look, almost as if they both felt and thought the same thing. Were they ready for a mission? Was this too soon? What if they hadn’t trained hard enough? Was this _really_ a good idea?

Romy folded her arms over her chest. “Mission? What mission?”

The commander gave a stern look in Romy’s direction, not caring for her bad attitude and insolence. The man certainly had a short patience when it came to people who acted like brats. “The _mission_ is more of a prevention duty,” he explained. “As we all know, the number of omnic attacks in the country are increasing, and it certainly won’t be long until they reach us here in Zürich.” Gabriel walked over to the nearest wall and used a remote to project a map of the surrounding areas on it. “It’s a little easier to understand this way.”

The map showed the city, surrounded by red dots that indicated enemy frontlines. Reyes points to the area where their base resides. “They’re already pretty close. Each day, more and more Overwatch soldiers are being deployed into the battlefield. But there is a way we can significantly decrease enemy numbers.” 

The two girls weren’t taken by surprise. They knew as soon as they had their first meeting that they were going to become assets of Overwatch. Everyday that they trained they were one step closer to being ready for battle. It was just an alien feeling for the both of them. The idea of teamwork and being a part of a collective were foreign concepts to the two.

“McCree and Genji will be accompanying you for this operation and I’ll give out signals and information from the drop-ship, which you will _not_ return to until I say your mission is complete,” he stated, “you leave tomorrow at one AM. That way the skeleton crew is out and we’ve got a better chance of success,” he continued, turning away for a moment before picking up the heavy black briefcase that he brought with him to the training centre. He placed it on a platform and unclipped both latches before opening it in front of the two girls. “We designed some gear we thought might suit you.”

Firstly, he pulled out a small sheath of what seemed like thin, carbon fibre boots, and handed them over to Sofia, who felt the strong material between her fingers.

“Breathable shoes with new material equipped to protect you and absorb all sound,” he explained, “essentially, your footsteps will be silent, with sheaths on either side to fit your knives,” he added, turning back to the briefcase. 

The next item he pulled out was a dark bodysuit. The material looked almost similar to the previous pair of boots, except the patterning on it was different. “This,” he began, turning back to face the others, his cold eyes fixing on the redheaded girl. “Is a fireproof suit. Or, a Romy-proof suit, you could say.” He passed it over to Romy, who furled her brows at the sight of it.

“I can, y’know, _not_ set fire to my clothes,” she defended, pursing her lips as she scratched her finger down the material. Horrible. “You think I run around naked whenever I’m in a fight? You’ve seen the news, haven’t you?”

McCree nudged the girl standing next to him, a silent way of telling her to bite her tongue.

“I mean, thanks,” she chuckled dryly. Being fake wasn’t a talent of hers.

“We know that your power is hardly under _control_ ,” their superior jested, his brows knitting together as his expression was filled with distaste. “We can’t even trust you to not kill your comrades, so you should think yourself _lucky_ you’re even part of this assignment.”

“Oh, you-”

“I think that’s _enough_ ,” McCree interrupted, before she got herself into something she couldn’t get out of. He placed an understanding hand on the redhead’s shoulder and shook his head when she gave him a look.

Romy folded her arms defensively, admitting defeat. When she looked over at Sofia, the girl was already looking at her, a small smirk on her face.

Romy broke eye contact, unable to help but copy the expression of her new friend.

* * *

**12:49AM**

Sofia zipped up the front of her guarded, black military-style jacket, sliding her combat knives into the angled pockets. She tied her hair into a tighter braid and knotted it into a bun, making it less of a problem when she was commencing the operation, and slid into her comfortable silent-step shoes. Running her fingers over the flesh-coloured scar on her cheek, she straightened her posture and made her way out of the room. 

“I always did like a woman in uniform,” McCree remarked teasingly, leaning his arm on Sofia’s shoulder. She rolled her eyes in response to his comment and smacked his arm off of her shoulder. He was clad in heavy-looking gear, though it was still very true to his style as he adjusted his black cowboy hat. “What? It’s a compliment!”

“ _Que te la pique un pollo_ ,” Sofia smirked, the idea of her mother tongue confusing the cowboy amusing her.

“Well, I _know_ that’s gotta be somethin’ good,” McCree chuckled, feeling a sense of pride in himself. He didn’t _really_ think it was something good; he knew it was a quip of some kind, but he let himself revel in getting the last word in. He led the way to the carrier, where they met up with Genji and Romy, both of whom were sitting waiting in what seemed like silence. 

“Where’s Reyes?” Sofia asked, looking around. It wasn’t a question she was particularly waiting to be answered, it was more of a silence filler that she felt obligated to fill since she had just arrived. 

“He’ll be here,” Genji answered, his eyes flicking to the short girl momentarily. “It’s not one just yet.”

Sofia nodded, watching as the cyborg turned his attention elsewhere, leaned back onto the crates behind him and closed his eyes to rest. Romy sat a good distance away from him, the girl noticed, seemingly in a world of her own. With her head tilted slightly downwards, eyes fixated on the floor, Sofia could just make out the brooding expression on her face. Sofia didn’t feel it was her place to pry just yet, so she kept to herself. Not like she believed Romy would disclose anything, especially in front of the other two.

Romy had spent a large portion of her life completing assignments like this, she’d killed many times before at the command of her father with her brother by her side. This was nothing new to her. Though, there was a new level of responsibility arising that she could feel. It would be safe to say that her new commander’s words hit hard - though harsh, the man did have reason to say the things he did. How could she be trusted not to kill or harm the people she worked with? The abilities she held _were_ volatile, completely unpredictable and definitely not something she could let others rely on.

Sofia, on the other hand, felt almost a little too nonchalant about the whole ordeal. She was used to executing risky heists, albeit they were solo and usually very unprofessional, with minimal planning and ninety percent winging it. Even when she was in Los Muertos they would send her off on her own to get what they needed. At first she thought she was an important asset and a valued member of the gang, turns out they just threw her under the bus to do all their dirty work any chance they could get for all the benefit and no consequence.

Suddenly, the jet carrier whooshed open as the air-lock released and a ramp formed, revealing Commander Reyes who had been on the jet the entire time. 

“Good. You’re on time,” he commented, nodding at the four. Genji and McCree followed suit by walking up towards the ramp, to which Romy and Sofia followed. As each recruit passed by the Commander, he handed out small earpieces that they all inserted in order to be on top of all communication. “It’s only a short ride, but strap yourselves in,” Gabriel added, referring to the two girls as this experience was new to the both of them. “This thing is faster than it looks.”

The four recruits strapped themselves in securely, the over-the-shoulder restraints locking tight to prevent any movement. It was a little tighter than Sofia expected and quite uncomfortable as it dug into her collarbones, but she didn’t complain. 

The ramp doors suddenly came to a close and the whole carrier shook as the pilot readied it for set off. Reyes strapped himself in last, just in time before the jet hovered above the floor, causing a stomach-flipping sensation in each recruit. There was a powerful rumble that followed before there was a sudden massive change in speed and everybody was thrown in their seats. Soon, it settled and there was almost no feeling of movement as the jet reached peak speed. A few minutes of silence passed before the ship seemed to be touching down to land once again.

The commander unclipped himself from his seat and stood rapidly, walking over to a panel at the other side of the vessel. Everyone followed suit, unclipping themselves. Genji and McCree stood almost instantly, used to the certain protocol they had followed previously as they made their way over. Sofia and Romy soon mimicked them. 

“Alright,” their leader began, bringing up a hologram of the surrounding areas as he continued to type on the keypad. “There’s two different objectives here, so I’m splitting you in half. Inside here,” he explains, zooming in on part of the main building with his fingertips. “Is a large database full of intel that could guide us towards their next hit. We don’t know what’s in these files exactly, just that there’s hundreds of them. It could be the difference in saving thousands of lives,” he added. “Now, it _is_ littered with security, likely to be more than we could take on ourselves, but we have reason to believe that during the night, when the skeleton crew is active, the bots inside are not. Which means…”

“That it ain’t gonna be as easy as we think,” McCree answered, folding his arms. “It means they’ve wired the shit out of that place.”

Reyes then turned his full attention to Sofia. “A little birdy told me that sneaking into places you shouldn’t be, undetected, is your specialty…”

Sofia made eye contact with her boss, momentarily flicking them towards the screen. “It won’t be a cake walk,” she shrugged, observing any possible routes to take towards the room. “But I’ve done stuff like this before… it’s doable.”

“You won’t be alone,” Gabriel assured, motioning towards Genji, who stood by her side. “Just so happens to be that someone else here is great at being invisible. You two’ll go in together.”

The Mexican girl was _not_ used to working with others, she’d known it was going to be bothersome as soon as she’d been scouted into this whole thing. From what she’d seen, Genji was pretty good, but she had no guarantee that they wouldn’t clash in their efforts. What if there was no synergy between them? That could mess up the whole operation.

“And as for you two,” Reyes started, eyeing up the remaining two as he turned himself back to the screen. As he zoomed out, he revealed a courtyard of some sort, highlighted in red. “This particular area is where they keep their heavy machinery, their inactive artillery bots, you could say.”

Romy’s eyes watched the screen as he spoke, before locking them onto the figure standing in front of it. The commander remained in the same position, pausing for a moment but refusing to turn around to face them.

“The bots inside will only be activated if your comrades trigger the alarm, so make as much noise as you want out there. Just rid of them all.”

“How’re we supposed to do that?” McCree asked, adjusting the hat on his head and frowning ever so slightly in thought.

“You’re forgetting who’s standing next to you, aren’t you?”

Romy very nearly froze in her spot. It was as she expected, despite wishing it could be dealt with in a different way. Of course he wanted to use her. Though it was likely to get ugly, it wasn’t in her nature to back down. If her chief knew so much about who she was, how unstable she could be, he would know the repercussions of what would happen if what he asked of her went south. As long as she didn’t harm her partner in the heat of things, she could forgive any mishaps.

“Human fireball, Romy Gasai.” The nickname made Romy uncomfortable, especially because she knew what the man was trying to do using it.

“‘Kay,” McCree drawls out, his eyes darting between Reyes and his old friend. “So it’s my job to…”

“Disable me,” Romy finishes it for him, her tone bitter but understanding nonetheless. “If I lose control. And good luck trying.”

“This isn’t a game, Gasai.” Reyes stated firmly, shooting her a look. She’d been a handful from the beginning, he’d known that much, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle considering McCree had given his fair share of attitude when he’d been recruited back in his teens. However, despite all the animosity that they might share, he still trusted her or he would have never let her on the mission. The commander pressed a button to release the recruits, and nodded at them as they all made their way out. “Communication lines are open. Anything happens, you let me know first. Good luck, soldiers.”

The recruits split into their designated teams and made the stretch to their destination, a good enough distance away so that they were undetected. 

“I’ve got eyes,” McCree stated through the intercom, crouched behind cover with Romy by his side, who were both scanning the front outer perimeter of the base. A large truck parked by the front gate, with omnics pacing back and forth with crates of what seemed to be weaponry. At a glance, the pair noticed that in the back of the truck were what appeared to be mercenary bots, larger in size than your regular attack omnic. “They’re planning somethin’ big alright.”

“Copy that,” Genji responded, looking over to Sofia who nodded.

“We’re going in,” Sofia then added, hand falling from her earpiece as she noticed her window of opportunity. She noticed an Omnic guard standing idle outside of a back entrance, and how another guard traded places with it once it's shift appeared to end, and it scanned itself inside through facial recognition. Taking an angle that meant the bot wouldn’t notice her, she unsheathed a combat knife from her boot and inserted it into the weak spot — a small opening between the head and the body of the omnic where the wiring spurred and churned shots of electricity upon taking impact from the knife. Twisting the bots head around, the door scanned the face and it beeped green and clicked open. She wedged the door open with her boot before finishing the omnic off and sliding her way inside, Genji hot on her heels. 

Meanwhile, Romy and McCree exchanged a look, readying themselves to leave either side of their cover in sync. “Three, two…” He signalled a one before they both made their ways out, sprinting in silence towards a target each. The cowboy delivered a heavy strike to the temple of one with his pistol, taking it out cleanly. Romy had her target on its back at the same time, pushing with her foot on its neck forcefully until the head was barely connected.

“A little excessive, don’t ya think?” McCree remarked, raising an eyebrow at the girl who still stood atop her target.

The redhead smirked in response, rolling her eyes. “Don’t question my methods, cowboy.”

Genji and Sofia carefully made their way through the eerily silent building, passing a few of the deactivated bots in sleep mode as they moved. The lighting was conveniently dim, allowing them to go undetected just a smidge easier. Unsure of what Genji was thinking, Sofia wondered if there was something suspicious going on. It should _never_ be this easy. 

Where were the cameras? Where were the motion detectors?

The two of them noticed a pool of blue light coming from an open doorway just a ways ahead, perhaps an indication of a tech room. They made their way there with cautious footsteps, though there appeared to be no more signs of omnic life. Suddenly, Sofias eyes widened at the sight of a figure slumped in a chair, a steaming coffee on the desk ahead of them. Genji caught a hold of her arm, pulling her back around the corner into cover as her initial shock of noticing a _human_ silenced her awareness, causing her to not notice the fact that there was another human soldier making their way across the room. Once they were hidden, Genji raised a finger to his mouthguard to ensure she stayed quiet. 

“Shipments just arrived.” One of them commented gruffly, his accent laced with an American twang, indicating that they were from foreign ground, possibly deployed in Switzerland by someone with an ulterior motive, causing Genji’s head to tick — this wasn’t an omnic-driven attack?

“Yup… won’t be long until the troops start filing in,” the other one answered, following it with a deep, tired sigh. “Then we’ll be doing way more than sitting on our asses watching some cameras."

“I still wanna know what he’s got planned, the boss. Buying all these grants all over this shit-hole.”

“I guess he’s trying to control it from the inside… can’t do nothin’ with these fucking bots when Overwatch is on his ass as soon as he orders an attack.”

Sofias brows creased as herself and Genji exchanged a look of confusion. It wasn’t exactly clear to them what was going on, but it certainly made it all a little bit more complicated than they thought it was.

“Yeah, stubborn assho— hang on, what the fuck is that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll give you a kidney if you let us know what you think 
> 
> \- d


	6. Compromised

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter x 
> 
> -k

**Zürich Omnic Base  
** **1:32AM**

“Yeah, stubborn assho— hang on, what the fuck is that?”

“Is that fucking _fire_?”

As soon as they heard the word, the two were in sync and moving towards both guards swiftly within a split second. Genji took the right - Sofia the left. Genji’s kill was rapid, so much so that his partner heard the clicking of his weapon being unsheathed a split second before it was being clicked back into place. Sofia had taken a more humane approach, pinning her target down and knocking him out with the thick-butted handle of her knife.

The girl quickly made sure that their presence was still unknown to any other, possibly human, guards. The hall they’d entered from was still clear and she was satisfied enough to pay mind to the CCTV screens. Sofia sat herself down in the desk seat, analysing the view in front of her as Genji approached her side. 

A whizzing thud of a bullet was all it took for Romy’s instincts to be set into overdrive, almost as if her physical body had gone into auto-pilot. Caught in her palm full of fire, the next bullet that was shot and bound to hit her companion had melted and dissipated in a second. Recognising another glint of a sniper scope, her eyes widened. 

“Get to cover!”

McCree and Romy both backed up to their original spot, the hiss of another bullet missing the redhead by a few centimetres. 

“What’s going on out there?” Came through their earpieces. 

“Sniper on the roof,” McCree reported, breathing roughly. “I repeat, _sniper on the roof_.”

Back in the security room, Genji and Sofia listened to the exasperated McCree through their comms. Sofia made an effort to move from her seat, backing up from the screens as if she was readying to move out. Genji grasped the girl by the arm.

“We can’t go out there,” he explained, pointing to the screens that filmed the inside of the building they were in. There were a few soldiers making their way outside, it seemed, through the hallways and towards their comrades.

“That’s exactly why we should be going out there,” Sofia stressed. “They can’t handle that many people at once. Not alone.”

“We need to do what we were instructed to do.” Her partner puts his hand to the side of his mask and uses his own earpiece to talk to the others. “There are human soldiers here. Repeat, _human soldiers_.” He let go of Sofia’s arm, and tapped her reassuringly on the shoulder. “We need to move.”

His words left a bitter sensation in Sofia’s stomach, but she knew he was right, and she knew she had to follow orders by all means necessary. If they could just get the data they needed, they could get out of there. She nodded stiffly and followed Genji through to the hallway, one step behind him as they made their way to the tech and data control room.

Outside at the front of the base, Romy and McCree held their ground behind cover, whilst McCree shot glances over the top of the barricade every so often to shoot suppressing fire. Romy aimed down the barrel of her gun, trying to get a clear shot of the omnics. They’d toppled over crates of weaponry and daren’t peek over — the omnics weren’t so strong at a distance. As she’s about to take the shot at the head of an omnic that peeks from their cover, she notices a familiar brandishing on the underside of the crate that was flipped over.

_Gasai Tech._

It was almost hard to believe, but it just made so much sense to Romy that it couldn’t be. Her face twisted in disgust and, as her expression became progressively more hostile, she could feel the heat stirring deep within her. When she knew she was going to lose control, she warned her friend. “Jesse, you need to move away from me,” her voice was quiet as she glanced over at the man beside her. “Please… _move_!”

As soon as McCree saw the light glow building up in his partner’s eyes, he was already moving himself back in preparation.

“Of course,” Romy spat out. 

It was clear to McCree that she was gone. Her anger had fully taken control of her body, and it manifested into a physical state as her body became engulfed in vivid flames. It was almost hard to watch his old friend in this state - it was clear that her power controlled her in times like these.

How the hell was he supposed to disable _that_?

Romy was already on her feet, almost separated from reality in her trance-like state as she turned and moved away from her previous cover. The flames around her body had disappeared, but there was a scorching heat surrounding her that her partner could still see. McCree knew of her abilities, he’d certainly seen them on the news, he’d even seen her use her fire before back in the Deadlock days… but he’d never witnessed her lose herself like this. It was like she was worse since he last saw her all those years ago. _What the Hell set her off?_

“Of course...” she repeated herself, walking towards the gathering soldiers at the courtyard’s entrance to the building. “...He’s part of the problem,” she continued, barely even paying attention to the guns that were being aimed at her. “And I have to share a name with _it_.”

When the men started firing at Romy, McCree almost jumped out and began to fire back. The girl looked almost normal, no fire surrounding her - but as soon as the bullets were centimetres away from hitting her body, they began to sizzle and smoke out of existence. By the time the mercenaries realised their efforts were futile, Romy was a mere few feet in front of them, pressing her hands into the ground and sending a path of fire right towards them.

The screams were horrifying and hard to listen to, even for people McCree would’ve happily killed. The men had had no chance of escaping, because her fire spread like nothing he’d ever seen before… It wasn't _normal_ fire. It was different. And definitely one of the most painful ways to go out.

The cowboy took the opportunity to move closer to his hysterical friend, finding more cover before taking a perfect shot at the sniper still on the roof. With the sniper down, it was time for him to do some disabling.

“Romy, honey,” he called out, staying a good few metres back from her. “They’re down... I-I think we’re good. Y’can stop now!”

The girl on fire was still standing in the same position, watching the ashes of the men she’d murdered so brutally with glowing eyes, as if something else would happen. When she heard her friend’s voice, she turned her head to listen but did not turn around. Instead, she made her way over to the truck and examined it for a few seconds, before sending a fireball towards the engine in an effort to blow the whole thing up. 

McCree shielded his face with his arms as the blast blew his hat off his head, which he scrambled to collect and place back on his head with a deep sigh. The heat radiating from her felt like he was under hot desert sun, and sweat gathered on his forehead; he couldn’t imagine how it must have felt being on the other end of her flames. 

“Pero qué coño?” Sofia growled, hearing the explosion from inside the building. Her heart started to hammer when she and Genji noticed lights starting to beam around the hallway, as the dormant omnics started to come back to life. This time, instead of careful steps, the two of them sped up, following the signs roughly to make their way to the data control centre.

“Uh… we got a bit of a problem,” he stated, his voice fuzzy and overlapping with the crackle of fire. “You guys need to get out of there.” He finished, his voice filled with urgency. 

“We’re finishing the mission, McCree,” Genji answered, urging Sofia to follow him as he found the room they were looking for. “The building is empty. Watch yourself.” He said to Jesse, proceeding to head into the room.

Sofia whipped out the USB stick provided to her by Commander Reyes, and inserted it into a computer on the far right side of the room. She’d done this many times — selling information she’d stolen. She wasn’t a hacker by any means, she was just good at sticking her nose in places she wasn’t supposed to be. She started downloading as much data as possible, watching as the percentage started to slowly tick by. 

“This is taking too long!” She exclaimed, watching as Genji unsheathed his sword by the entrance of the door as an omnic made its way past. Before Sofia could even process that they had been spotted, the bot had been sliced into four separate parts. 

“There’s more.” Genji informed her.

“Can you hold them off?” She asked, feeling her heart jump as she noticed the percentage barely creep past twenty percent. 

“For now.”

Jesse ducked from the sparks of another explosion. “You’re gonna blow the whole thing down!” McCree yelled, now standing closer to Romy than ever. “You trying to kill them? Huh?”

Romy stood still, unresponsive still. Her face was pained, though she stared at the truck’s remains with eyes that lacked emotion. When Jesse was able to move closer, as close as he could get without being scorched, he noticed what she was looking at. 

“Oh, I remember,” McCree sighed, pushing his revolver into the holster. Ironically, one of the things that survived the explosion was a crate of ammunition. It had been unloaded from the truck and used for cover, the side of it reading _Gasai Tech_. In fact, when the cowboy span around and paid attention, most of these cases were plastered with the same name. “It’s not your fau-”

Romy didn’t stick around to listen, making her way over to the other side of the courtyard with heavy steps. She stopped in front of a large, artillery omnic and outstretched her hands to spray it with more white hot fire. Moving in a circle, she melted all around the machine so it would be practically inoperative. 

McCree was glad she didn’t blow anything up this time.

After she was finished melting just about every machine on site, she sat herself down on the small kerb by the entrance to the building. She rested her head in her hands as she cooled down back to reality. It would be easier if she couldn’t remember what happened whenever she came back from a frenzy, but she wasn’t that lucky.

When McCree approached her, he made sure to tread lighter than usual. “Well, you dealt with that problem.” He waited for her reaction, but it never came. The surface of her skin was riddled with sweat and she looked dreadful. “Hey, you gonna be alright?”

No response.

_Ninety percent._

Sofia clutched the edge of the desk almost desperately, as if squeezing it would make it go any faster. Genji had taken out most of the attackers but was starting to get overwhelmed, and she couldn’t just leave him to deal with it by himself. Hesitating, she left the computer to finish by itself and pulled out her knives to assist him. 

Taking out the omnics was easy — sadly, it was almost like second nature to her. Back when she was a part of Los Muertos, they weren’t exactly the biggest fan of their metal neighbours. However, when humans rounded the corner with guns in their hands, she was a little stunned. It was easier to knock them out and ignore them, but Genji wasn’t having it.

“Are you going to finish them off?” He asked, watching as the men groaned helplessly on the ground.

Sofia was stunned. “They’re people.”

“People who could compromise us, or worse: kill us,” he shot back, using his blade to, as he put it, ‘finish them off’ as Sofia seemed to refuse to do so. “Sometimes it is necessary.” He completed, shooting her a look as she swallowed back her words and returned to the computer just in time for it to read _complete_.

“It’s done; let’s get out of here.” She said, grabbing the USB and shoving it into her pocket. She tried to make it seem like she was nonchalant about it all, but she felt the acid rise to her throat. 

Figuring they’re already exposed, it didn’t matter which exit Genji and Sofia took. They decided to exit at the nearest chance, which just so happened to lead to the courtyard. As they emerged through the exit, by perfect timing, the drop-ship arrived. Their commander was standing in the doorway of the open side door, yelling. “Come on! Let’s go!”

Genji, Sofia and McCree all turned to ready an escape, but hesitated when Romy didn’t get to her feet to follow. 

“Romy, let’s go!” McCree approached her, reaching to touch her and instantly taking his hand away again. “Fuck,” he hissed. “She’s scalding!”

Genji turned to the others. “Go on, get the USB to the ship,” he instructed, watching as Sofia nodded and McCree slowly stepped back and headed towards the ship too. The Japanese man reached out to touch the girl in front of him, using his mechanical arm instead of his real one. When nothing melted, he gave her no time to react before he hoisted her up onto the artificial side of his chest. Romy’s body draped limply over his shoulder and the man received no protest as he carried her towards the ship. The girl was unconscious.

The ride back to the Overwatch base was silent, leaving everybody to stew in their thoughts and reflect back on the mission. It all just didn’t make sense to them — why were there human soldiers there? Why weren’t they informed of that when they dropped in?

Genji had sat himself next to Romy after he helped strap her in securely to her seat. He watched her the entire flight as her head hung low, still completely blacked out, and almost thought about sitting her up properly before he turned back to staring down at his own hands in his lap. 

This was bigger than they thought it was.


	7. Just Visiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more of a filler dialogue chapter for beefier chapters soon to come. i hope things are starting to make sense!
> 
> -kat

**Overwatch Headquarters  
** **Medical Bay  
** **10:29AM**

Heels clicked across sterile marble flooring and the sound of fluttering blinds was the first thing Sofia noticed as she stepped into the medical wing. It wasn’t too hard to find Romy’s room, considering there were only a handful. The smell of disinfectant was potent, barely masked by the flush of fresh air from open windows. It was all jarring for Sofia — she'd never been to a hospital before, and the idea of medical intervention and Doctors poking around your body just made her feel unnervingly uncomfortable. Then again, she was lucky enough to have escaped most of her life with nothing more than a few deep cuts that were easily treated at home with rubbing alcohol and bandages. Where she was from, you had to fend for yourself, but it seemed here that everybody relied on tech, medicine, and it all seemed unnatural. Regardless, she knew her friend was in good hands.

“Are you visiting?” A soft-spoken, feminine voice asked. It was lilted with an accent, definitely from the country they resided in. 

Sofia tore her eyes away from the clear window into the room and instead turned her attention to the blonde doctor who stood in the doorway. She had flawless skin and her hair was scraped to the back of her head, except for her bangs. She wore a loose lab jacket on top of a soft, beige jumper, her hands adorned with thin, latex gloves. Around her neck hung a hard plastic ID badge, identifying her as Dr. Angela Ziegler. From the looks of the image and her fresh-faced smile in person, she can't have been here for many years. She didn't look a day over twenty, but her uniform and ease of movement in her workspace stated that she held years of experience and knowledge. 

“Yes,” Sofia answered, following it with a tight smile. She was always a little awkward when it came to meeting new people, and would've much rathered kept the conversation to a minimum, but she was concerned for her friend so she sucked it up just this once. Angela creased her well-groomed brows knowingly, holding a holo-tablet to her chest. 

“You must be Sofia,” she concluded, turning on her heel and walking into the medical room. She nodded encouragingly at Sofia, urging her to follow her inside. “I’ve heard good things about you.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that — the idea of words being spoken about her behind her back, whether that be good or bad, always made her neck prickle. Besides, who had even been talking to Angela about her? Soldier and Ana barely knew her, and she doubted that Reyes seemed to be the type to speak anything but criticism. She brushed the thought off and simply nodded in acknowledgement to the comment before turning to Romy, “how is she holding up?”

“Vital signs are all good,” Angela explained, reaching up and turning the dial on a drip that appeared to be connected to Romy through the back of her hand, held in place with nude tape. “She just seems to be taking a long-needed rest.” She said, kindly adjusting the covers on the bed as if to make the occupant more comfortable. Sofia noticed and seemed to appreciate that her friend was in good care.

Sofia pulled up a hard blue chair from the corner of the room and sat herself down by the side of the bed.

“I heard what happened out there,” Angela continued, her voice low and comforting. She stood by the open window, a cascade of afternoon light on her back making the blonde wisps on her head appear gold and almost angelic. She took a breath and steadied her posture, tapping away on the tablet in her hands. “But how are _you_ feeling, Sofia?”

“Fine,” Sofia said, and really she generally meant it. Overall, the mission was a success and she didn't have too much to worry about herself. She’d definitely had a lot to think about with her interaction with Genji but apart from that a few bruises, she’d got the information and data she needed and escaped fine. “It was a bit of an intense first mission but… yes, fine.” She finished. 

Angela nodded in understanding, getting the hint that Sofia didn't want to delve into any details, but she certainly seemed like she wanted to say something. Before she could get any other words out, the familiar sound of thudding boots and jangling spurs rounded the corner and entered the room. Sofia glanced up at McCree who tips his hat in greeting. “Ladies.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Sofia commented. 

McCree perked his brow. “I’m here to see a friend.” He explained, pulling up a chair next to Sofia. “How is she, Doc?”

“All is well, Jesse,” Angela reassured him, beaming at his presence. “We are just waiting for her to wake up on her own accord. You can’t rush the healing process.” 

Both Sofia and McCree turned to look at Romy, who seemed more at peace than she’d ever been. Her flame-red hair was bright in contrast to the pristine white pillow her head was resting on, but it looked as if it had been combed and neatened.

“Not gonna lie, I was pretty worried about her,” McCree chuckled, taking out a pre-cut cigar from the innards of his jacket that he’d been saving. It was sort of a habit, something to do with his hands and mouth when he was conversing, or, rather, when he wasn't exactly sure what to say. “The girl nearly gave me third degree burns when I tried to pick her up.”

The doctor frowned. “And what do you think you’re doing with that?” She asked, taking a swift step forward to snatch the cigar from between his fingers. “We’ve been over the whole ‘no smoking in a place of healing’ thing, Jesse McCree,” Angela scolded, paying no mind to the man’s wounded, puppy expression as she dropped it into the trash can in the corner. “Your fiery friend’s fever only lasted a few hours,” she informed, raising her eyebrows in memory of the speedy recovery as she stared at the vital signs on the tablet in her hands before promptly shutting the window.

“Can’t be a surprise, right? I mean she was a walking heatwave. If her body can handle that, her body’s gotta be able to handle a shitty fever…”

“Mind your tongue,” Dr. Ziegler shook her head in dissaproval, though it didn't seem to be at all serious, more of playful banter. “But yes — Well, you would assume so. We’ve not dealt with many natural phenomena such as this. We have little to no research to be able to make sense of much, especially since people like her are so unique. No two are ever the same.”

“ _Natural?_ ” Sofia hadn’t witnessed many people with abilities before, and if she had they were artificially enhanced. Even with all that technology could do nowadays, she found it baffling that some people were _born_ with that kind of capability. 

“Mhm,” the other lady answered, placing the tablet back down by the edge of the bed Romy laid in. “We ran a few tests on her, but it was pretty obvious. When somebody’s powers are hard to control and easily influenced by their emotion, we know that their powers are from within. Therefore, naturally occuring. Or even generational.”

Sofia looked over at her sleeping friend, eyeing her calm face as she thought. “But if you don’t know anything about what she can do and how she does it, how can you help her control it?”

The doctor shook her head. “Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it. We can take preventative measures, and possibly try to stabilize her mood… other than that, any growth needs to happen by her doing.”

McCree watched the Mexican girl next to him as her face quickly became puzzled. It was obvious to him that she was trying to understand and make sense of things, but even he knew that what Angela said was the bitter truth. The man had also questioned what it meant — whether Romy would become too much of a liability and be deemed expendable. Neither of them wanted that for their friend.

“Well,” McCree spoke, trying to lighten the mood. “Let’s just be glad we all got out of that situation. If it wasn’t for Genji carrying her out of there, we might’ve had to leave her.”

Sofia’s head whipped around to look at the man next to her, the statement shocking her. Even though she’d always worked alone up until now, she wouldn’t have dreamt of leaving her new friend behind. She would’ve stayed to fight by her side. The girl said nothing to McCree, the disgusted face more than likely told him enough.

“Ah, yes,” Angela replied, wanting to clear the air herself now. “His synthetic body parts are indeed very durable, fire resistant, even. You can thank me for that,” she said, winking at the others. 

“Speaking of… where _is_ Genji?” McCree added, turning to Sofia who shrugged in response. Neither had seen him. They’d almost expected that he might have visited Romy, considering he was the one who helped get her out of there, but there was no sign of him.

“I’m gonna go and train,” Sofia huffed out, standing up from her seat and taking one last glance at her redhead friend. “Thanks, Dr. Ziegler. It was nice meeting you.” As she left, she made an effort to not look at the cowboy that had sat next to her.

* * *

**3 Hours Later**

Commander Reyes looked rougher than usual at the important meeting he called everyone to at the last minute. Obviously, Romy was not attending as she was still in the medical bay resting and recovering. Regardless, Sofia knew that this was important due to the fact that other members of Overwatch were here — including Commander Morrison and Captain Amari. 

“I think you know why I’ve called you here,” Reyes began, shuffling through the electronic files that Sofia had sourced from yesterday's mission before pulling up a document and projecting it for everybody to see. “The mission was a success — we got everything we needed, thanks to Sofia and Genji,” he said with a nod, to which Genji barely responded to with a lift of his head. “But it was not under as much control as I’d like it to have been.”

McCree slouched in his chair with a sigh, almost as if he had expected this to come up.

“I trusted you to handle things, Jesse.” Gabriel explained, his voice stern and disappointed. 

“Everything was fine—”

“You could’ve both been compromised!” He shot back, standing to his feet. “We _all_ could’ve been compromised.”

“She saved my life,” McCree stated, plainly. He didn’t feel sorry, and he didn’t regret standing up for himself. “I could’ve taken a bullet to the skull if it weren’t for her. With all due respect, Commander, I don’t think you know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“How dare yo—”

“Enough,” Commander Morrison spoke, his voice echoing across the room as he spoke over the other man. “We got the data we needed. They escaped — albeit a little messy — but they still escaped.”

Reyes’ face was a picture, an _angry_ one. But he did as commanded, bitterly.

“We have reason to believe there were human soldiers,” Captain Amari piped up, looking over at the three who had been on the mission. “That was a blip in our calculations. For that, we apologise for not providing you with the right information.”

“Regardless,” Reyes began, the bitter expression sticking to his face. “We need to discuss Gasai. She’s a complication. We could have been compromised if the situation had gotten worse.”

“It’s not her fault that she lost control,” a new voice spoke up for the first time. Sofia’s eyes were trained on the Blackwatch leader as she defended her friend with a tone as spiteful as his. McCree had explained to the girl prior just how Romy had come to be so rampant. “Her fath-”

“We’re aware of the situation, Miss Hermendez,” Commander Morrison interrupted, before the girl got herself into an argument she wouldn’t be able to get out of.

“What situation?” Reyes very nearly growled, his thick brows knitting together out of confusion. It was infuriating when information was withheld from him, somebody who was supposed to be a higher up just like Morrison and Amari. Sofia immediately withdrew from the conversation, knowing that she’d brought something up that she shouldn’t have. 

Ana Amari went to talk but held her words with a sigh and gently clasped her hands and placed them on the desk. “Gasai Tech.”

They were the only words she needed to say for Commander Reyes to get an understanding of what’s going on. 

“So she’s the daughter of a criminal mastermind, is what you’re telling me?” Reyes blurted out. “We recruited a spy?!”

“Daughter, yes. Affiliate, not so much,” Ana explained. “We’ve all seen the tapes, Gabriel. We know she is no threat to our operation. She’s on our side.”

“At this point she’s only on her own side—” Gabriel grumbled under his breath.

Jack Morrison ignored his comment. “We’ve had our eye on her for a long time. We know where she stands. It’s been years since she associated with her father, the most recent contact she had with him was burning down one of his buildings.”

Reyes rolled his eyes. “To throw you off the scent?”

“I know the girl,” McCree interjected, growing annoyed at his own commander. “She’s no force of evil sent to destroy this organization. You just don’t _like_ her, Reyes.”

“This isn’t what’s important,” Ana butted in, ensuring that Gabriel couldn’t get another word in. “Right now, there’s bigger things at stake.” She said, giving him an encouraging nod. The Commander sighed, bringing up a document and displaying it to everybody in the room.

“We have reason to believe that this is more than a one-man operation,” he started, bringing up profiles of multiple men, all of which seemed to be fairly important. At the head of it all was Saburo Gasai. 

“Why can’t we just target him?” Sofia asked. Everybody gave her a look, realising she didn’t understand the hierarchy. “Right?”

“He’s a very powerful man,” Jack Morrison explained. “We’d risk everything if we went straight for him. Instead, we need to break him down from the inside out. Deplete his resources. Make him desperate. The world will soon know who he truly is.”

“We’ll start by picking off his assets one by one.” Gabriel zoomed in on one particular profile. Fabien Beaubois, a French businessman who excelled in building omnic counterparts and weaponry — a supplier and underling of Gasai. 

“I hope you guys like Paris.”


	8. Suppressant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall  
> enjoy
> 
> -d

**Overwatch Headquarters  
** **Medical Bay  
** **9:43AM**

Bright rays of sun is the first thing that Romy registers when she starts to wake. All things considered, she feels extremely well rested — maybe because she was in the hands of one of the world's best doctors.

“Good! You’re awake,” Dr. Ziegler said, her voice sharp yet kind. Romy rubbed her eyes, steadying her focus onto the blonde doctor who smiled. “You’ve been out for quite some time, you know!”

Romy swallowed, her throat dry. “How long?”

“About thirty-two hours!” Angela sing-songed, reaching to adjust the blinds so that the room was not so bright and hard to adjust to. As Romy followed Angela with her eyes, something came into view in her peripheral vision. Turning her head to the side-table of the hospital bed, she noticed a bouquet of flowers — oriental lilies and budding white roses in a vast array of healthy green leaves, all tucked away in a crystal vase. 

“Flowers?” Romy questioned, propping herself up onto her elbows. 

Angela smiled knowingly. “Somebody left them for you. Aren’t they lovely?”

Romy frowned as she sat up, examining the flowers closely to see if there was a tag of some sort. “They seem to care about you a lot.”

“You know who left them? It doesn’t say,” the redhead pursed her lips as she watched the doctor, who gave a suspicious glance before turning around and filling her a cup of water. 

“You must be so thirsty,” Angela changed the subject, and it worked. The girl took the cup of water and drank desperately. 

“Thanks,” she said, after being handed her second cup. 

The blonde nodded, picking up her tablet and tapping along it. “I’ve been granted permission to fill you in on your next objective.”

“Already?” Romy hummed, putting down her cup next to the flowers. “You mean I’m not being discharged from duty?”

“Well, I _did_ suggest you need more resting time… but they insisted,” Angela sighed out, shaking her head as she continued to search for the correct files on her device. “And as far as being discharged goes… There are far worse things that have happened. The mission was completed, the information collected, so don’t beat yourself up about something you couldn’t control. Instead, work on improving yourself!” Whilst appreciated, the doctor’s uplifting words couldn’t do much for Romy. 

“I wish I could, but I’ve tried before,” the girl answered, her eyes falling to the bed sheets as she thought. “When’s the next job?”

“Ah, here we are,” came the doctor’s reply, locating just what she needed on her tablet in time to respond. “Looks like you’re going to France. Paris, to be precise…” Angela paused as she read the next few words on the screen. “...eliminating subordinates… something about a Fabien Beaubois… destroying Gasai Tech from the… You know, I’ll just let you have a read, how about that?” The lady gives up, placing the tablet by the redhead’s side. 

Romy cringed at the sound of her father’s name. After what had happened, she wasn’t surprised her comrades had put two and two together. Now Overwatch knew just how corrupt her father was, they were bound to go after him. She analysed the data in front of her, scrolling and taking it all in.

It looked like a fairly easy hit. Then again, this was all a hypothetical planning. From how the first mission went, she now knew that anything was possible, and that meant that anything could go wrong. She was almost hoping to redeem herself, but there was a part of herself that felt irredeemable. 

“This mission… it’s too soon,” she said, feeling overwhelmed. “I’m not sure if I can control myself. I could jeopardize everything again.”

Angela visibly hesitated. “Actually… we have something for that,” she began. “Well, it’s been in development for a while, now. You see, we have other slightly unpredictable members, no offense of course,” lightly chuckling, she continued. “We have a mood suppressant for you to try. It’s only going to be a trial run, and it could very well fail — but, we’ve been given the green light to go ahead with it. You needn’t blame yourself if anything goes wrong, it’ll be on the higher-ups this time.” The small wink that followed from the blonde made Romy smile weakly, still hesitant but willing.

“I’ve never tried something like this before, but, I’ll do it.”

“I don’t encourage it long-term, however,” Angela added. “I can provide as much support as possible — that’s what I’m here for, after all.”

“Let’s just get it over with,” Romy shrugged. “I’m ready for anything at this point, doctor. And if it doesn’t work…” she drawled out, eyeing the blonde with a slight smirk on her face. “I’ll just have to blame you.”

Angela nodded, wasting no more time talking before nipping outside the room to fetch the suppressant prototype. As she was about to reenter, McCree stepped into the room, almost _barged_ into the room past her, with a big grin on his face. 

“How’s my little spitfire doin’?”

Romy rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t deny that her spirits were lifted ever so slightly. “Hey, McCree.” she greeted.

“I have good news,” he began, “today you become an official member of Blackwatch. Usually it's a pretty big deal, big ceremony ‘n’ all, but we thought we might do it a bit more relaxed this time.” 

Romy and Angela exchanged a look.

“What, am I gonna have to carry you outta here?” He challenged.

“Hold your horses, cowboy,” teased the angelic woman, making her way past him and sitting herself by Romy’s feet. As she opened the small box in her hands, Romy noticed the giant needle resting inside. “Now, it’s just a shot. I hope you aren’t squeamish.”

McCree immediately turned away, his hand to his eyes. “What the Hell is that?”

Angela laughed. “It’s just a needle, Jesse.”

“ _Just_?!” He exaggerated.

“You’re not making me feel any better about this, you know.” Romy responded, rolling her sleeve to keep her arm exposed. Needles didn’t bother her, but she loved to tease.

“Ju-just tell me when it’s over,” the man grumbled, eyes still covered. 

It took no longer than three seconds, which was to be expected from a medical genius such as Angela Ziegler.

Romy didn’t care for needles, but that one was thick, long and hurt like a bitch.

“It’s over, Jesse,” Angela sighed, an eyebrow raised as she stood herself up and collected the now contaminated utensils.

When the man uncovered his eyes, the doctor was making a point of walking with the needle and box _extra_ close to him as she passed.

“Lady!” McCree exclaimed, sighing exasperatedly as he quickly looked in the other direction until she was at a safe distance away from him. His eyes met Romy’s. “Y’know, she _loves_ those things. Gives ‘em to you even when you don’t need ‘em.”

“Uh-huh,” Romy answered, pushing the bedsheets from over her legs and rapidly getting to her feet. “Ouch,” she hissed, forgetting that she still had a drip connected to her wrist. The look she gave the displeased doctor matched that of a child caught red-handed. “I can… go now, right?”

“You need to take it easy. But, yes. You can go.” Satisfied, Dr. Ziegler gave the man in the room one last playful glare. “And you — stop feeding her your lies.”  
  


* * *

**Lunch Time**

Romy found herself wandering to stretch her legs. She’d spent most of her morning with McCree and Sofia, but left them together to eat their lunch considering she’d lost her appetite -- a possible side-effect of the drug. She went to the training room, expecting to find it empty. However, she was surprised to see Genji there with his back to her.

“Oh,” Romy said, hesitating at the doorway. “Sorry — am I interrupting?” 

Genji peered at her over his shoulder. “No, you are not… interrupting.” He said, looking toward the ground as he sheathed his sword. Romy paused, swaying on her feet before she made the decision to walk into the room, shutting the door behind her. 

“Is everything alright?” Romy pried, sensing an awkward tension in the air.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Genji responded. There was a slight bitterness to his tone, or something that didn’t feel right — almost as if he didn’t want her there. Romy wasn’t sure how to respond and, considering she wasn’t really sure where her friendship stood with Genji, she was almost a little surprised that his tone offended her. Romy wasn’t the type to be hung up on something petty like this, but the weird silence bothered her for some reason. They _were_ on the same team, they _did_ work together. They should have some sort of friendship or even acquaintanceship by now. Despite the man helping her that night, she doubted they even shared the latter. There were no problems befriending Sofia, and she already knew McCree. Why did this guy have to be so difficult?

Genji took a silent breath, swallowing his pride. “How _are_ you feeling?” He asked, only this time he meant it. 

“I don’t know,” Romy answered truthfully. Since she’d woken up in that bed she hadn’t exactly taken a moment to gather her thoughts and understand how she felt. She’d messed up big, didn’t care what anyone reassured her. The original plan _failed_ and it shouldn’t have. “Physically, fine. It takes more than that to take me out, y’know.”

Genji might’ve cracked a smile under his face guard. “A foot, it seems.”

“Oh you busted my lip and gave me a bruise, don’t get cocky,” the redhead scoffed, folding her arms as she leaned against the back wall of the room. “And I’m still keeping to my promise. There’s no way you get the upper-hand on me like that again.”

This time Genji definitely smiled beneath his mask. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You should be resting, not training,” the man explained, turning himself around to see the girl he was speaking to. “This is the training room. Are you lost? Did you hit your head?”

Jokes didn’t sound quite right coming from the normally quiet, reserved man. Romy almost didn’t catch onto them. “Oh yeah, I have a habit of walking out of here dazed and confused.”

"Oh," the man mused, seeming out of character to Romy. It was clear he didn't expect her to join in on the sarcasm. 

"And anyway, why do you care if I need to rest?" She interrogated him, narrowing her eyes. "I know what you're doing… I didn't take you for the type to back out of a fight."

Genji did a double take. Or at least something very close to one. "What?" His tone was colder, and he came to realise what the girl was hinting at -- what she had probably planned since she noticed he was in the room. "I won't fight you."

Romy took a few steps towards the other, arms still folded over her chest. "I knew it."

"Why are you so obsessed with revenge?" The question suddenly came out, and the ninja's temper seemed as if it was switched on in an instant. He turned away from the other, unable to look at her as he made his way back to where he originally stood prior to her appearance.

Romy was aghast. Ever since what happened, she only viewed the situation with a partial seriousness. Sure, she wanted to beat Genji and change her reputation of being a sore loser, but it wasn't as important as the other things that plagued her mind. It was quickly dawning upon her that the man had a strange personality, with even stranger mood swings.

When nothing but silence followed, Genji unexpectedly continued. "If you lose, you lose. You become the weaker one and you move on. Trying to beat me is fruitless, because you are just weak. Will you forget about it already?" 

The insult would have ticked her off, but the logic behind his words baffled her too much. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Her expression was of complete perplexion, as her arms dropped from across her chest and rested by her sides. "You don't _know_ _me_. Who do you think you are?"

"I _know_ who _I_ am," he assured, turning his head to the side. Romy couldn't exactly tell the expression on his face behind the mask, but his furious eyes and expressive, thick eyebrows were a giveaway. "Do you know who you are?"

Romy's patience broke and she strode over to the Japanese man with little care given. The girl was quite tall, but still stood smaller by a few inches as she squared up to him. 

"You don't get to call me weak," she spat, feeling the anger submerged inside her struggling to surface. Whatever the doctor had given her must've caused this blockage, the redhead having never experienced anything like it before. It was making her feel sick. "Look at you. You're practically junk. Fuck you."

When the man's furious expression softened, Romy felt satisfied. And with the sickness in her stomach only building, she tore away from where she stood to make her way out of the training centre. She felt lightheaded — probably a result of a cocktail of drugs and her outburst. Only this time, the lightheadedness was paired with a shockingly sharp pain in her stomach. She _wanted_ to hunch over, but her defensive facade halted her from showing any signs of vulnerability, especially now. She took a moment to breathe and felt slightly better, so she continued.

Only this time it hurt worse.

Every step felt as if shockwaves were going through her body, but being as stubborn as she was she was determined to leave without Genji noticing that she was in pain. But even after everything she’d been through in her life, this was one of the pains where every inch of her body was screaming at her to _stop_ , and not to push through.

Her legs gave way under the pain as she reached the door, just in time for her to grab a hold of the handle and not fall completely flat on the floor. Sweat started to gather on the back of her neck as she exerted herself attempting to pull herself fully onto her feet before she completely buckled and fell to her knees.

Genji stood over her, to which she immediately turned her head away.

“I don’t need your help,” she groaned, taking a deep breath. “Can you please just go?”

“So stubborn,” Genji murmured to himself, pushing away the shock of her harsh words with a deep breath. “Let me help. You need to see Angela.”

“I just said I don’t need your help—”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Romy,” he said, firmly. “I’m taking you to her.”

Romy wanted to say no, but she was almost afraid that he would eventually leave her, and that she’d be stuck writhing in pain. It felt shameful to her to accept his help, but she reached up and grabbed his hand as he aided her to her feet.

“Steady,” he eased, ensuring she was okay to stand. He bore most of her weight on his arm, taking slow steps towards the medical bay. “There — not so bad.” 

“You know I’m only letting you help me for your own benefit, right?” Romy quipped, her words followed by sharp breaths.

Genji rolled his eyes. “ _Nan demo_.”


	9. Poker

**Overwatch Headquarters  
** **9:56PM**

Sofia frowned at the sight of herself in the mirror as she wore her new gown. No matter how much she turned and changed her angles, she couldn’t seem to like it. It was so flashy and impractical, and showed off her body in places she wasn't used to showing.

The dress was a beautiful blood red, that stretched all the way down to her feet and lightly traced the floor when she wore her heels. It was strapless, but not too revealing of her chest - which she was thankful for. The large slit in the left side began from her mid-thigh and finished at the base of the dress, modestly revealing her legs. The dress fit perfectly, hugging the girl’s shape as the colour harmoniously complimented her golden, tanned skin. 

“This was supposed to be liberating for you,” Romy complained, bothered by the expression on the girl’s face and visible lack of confidence. “But there’s still a chance. Once your hair’s all done and you’ve got some make-up on, you might feel a bit more in place.”

“Hair and make-up?” Sofia whipped round, cringing at the thought of not being able to at _least_ have her hair how she wants. “What about my braid?”

Romy very nearly choked on her spit. “You _can’t_ have your hair braided this time. We have to look formal, sophisticated,” she explained, slightly widened eyes fixated on her friend. “I know you have a ‘look’ but it’s… kind of about _not_ looking like ourselves, you could say.”

“I can’t _be_ sophisticated,” whined Sofia, once again taking a look at herself in the mirror. “I kind of _don’t_ come from big money. Never been to an event like this. Have I even been to an event?” She questioned herself, scratching her head. “You can pull this off. You know how to walk and talk money. I do not.”

Romy stood from Sofia’s bed, unsure of what to say. The latina hadn’t been the only one due for a makeover. After cutting and dying her own hair, Romy had successfully destroyed her natural black locks and made a mess of the cut at the same time -- she was no hairdresser, after all. When visiting her superiors for the first time since being in hospital, she was almost thrown into the capable hands of an actual hairdresser. Now it was a good few inches above her shoulders, shorter than she’d originally cut it herself but even, at least. The dress she wore was shorter than Sofia’s and black. Off the shoulder, it revealed little cleavage and more leg as it stretched out just above her knees with a small slit in the right side.

“I have an idea,” Romy perked up, spinning around a little too excitedly to look at her friend through the mirror. “We don’t have much time, but I could teach you. Basic etiquette and how to walk in heels, all that.”

“This is not what I signed up for,” Sofia sighed, adjusting the dress on her hips again. “But I am here to do my job, after all. So teach me.”

Romy beamed with delight as she pulled out the pair of shoes for Sofia. They were nude suede heels — not too tall, but definitely a difficult starting pair for a newbie. It took them the best part of two hours to get her walking in a steady, straight line, but that was just the first of it. She then moved onto make-up, showing her how foundation and concealer could be used to reshape her skin, and completely remove her scar from her face. 

“I don’t even look like _me_ anymore,” Sofia commented, blinking her shadowed eyes. This was completely unnatural to her and she’d much rather wipe it all off, but she couldn’t hide the fact that she felt… feminine, and pretty, a feeling that she’d never really desired nor thought about before. “And… my hair?” She asked, picking up her frayed braid. Romy fetched a handful of hair products, consisting of luxury shampoos, conditioners and hair masks. 

“I’m not really using these anymore, so you have them,” she said, handing them over. “It’ll make your hair really soft. And then I can do your hair for you when the time comes.”

Sofia stared at the bottles in her hands with a perpetuated expression, but still accepted them. They had yet to pack their bags for their journey to Paris, but it’d been seen that they were given all the outfits they’d require for their assignment, including their formal wear. 

“It’s late,” Romy noticed, remembering how Dr. Ziegler had told her to _really get rest this time,_ after she'd had to make a second visit due to her run in with Genji. The stomach pains were likely to be a side effect, according to the doctor.

"Yeah, Sofi, think I'm gonna go sleep… And I wanna get the fuck out of this boob death trap.” Her hands adjusted the dress around her bust and she breathed a small sigh of relief. “I hope we aren’t in Paris for long.”

“Yeah, alright,” Sofia agreed, following it with a smile. “See you in the morning.”

“Goodnight,” Romy replied with a soft smile, brushing her friend gently on the shoulder as she walked out of the room.

* * *

**16:02PM**

The following afternoon, Gabriel stood by the drop-ship, his hands held behind his back as he waited for his recruits to show up. As usual, Genji was the first to arrive, geared in a hoodie and track pants with a large duffel bag on his shoulder. Romy and Sofia showed up together, whereas McCree was running a few minutes late.

“Where's that damned cowboy—” 

“You lookin’ for me, sir?” McCree butted in, his hair disheveled. 

“You’re _late_.” Gabe grumbled, though he brushed it off with a wave of his hand and stuck his thumb behind his back, gesturing that the four of them get onto the ship. They all followed suit, carrying their bags along with them and chucking them into the storage unit before strapping themselves down. 

“Journey’s looking like an hour,” the pilot spoke through the speakers. “Sit tight and get ready for lift off.”

The jet began to rumble as the engines whirred to life. Sofia clung on to the overhead barriers, still completely unused to the sensation of flying. Whilst on their journey Commander Reyes continued to fill them in on the basics of the mission, and remind them all what their objective was. They’d be executing the mission tomorrow evening, with fake digital tickets that Overwatch had managed to create with one hundred percent success rate in the past. Until then, they’d be staying in a hotel for the night. 

When they arrived at their destination, they grabbed their belongings and made their way to the hotel. Gabriel had his own private room, whilst the other four split into rooms based on gender. The hotel was slightly luxurious, but they’d only booked it due to intel suggesting that attendees of the black-market ball auction tomorrow might be staying there, too. 

To finish off their evening, they gathered in the banquet hall for dinner.

“There’s one last thing I wanted to cover,” Gabriel started, clearing his throat after taking a sip of water. “You’re not gonna like it. But the whole point of this operation is that we go undercover, so I’d appreciate it if you took this seriously.”

Everyone nodded, taking a pause from eating their meals.

“Tomorrow you’ll be posing as dates,” he began explaining, “it’s not unusual for partners, romantic and business alike, to be attending, and we want to blend in as much as possible. You got that?”

They all nodded.

“Good,” Gabe said, wiping his mouth with a napkin after taking a final bite of his steak. “Genji, Romy, you’ll be partners for the night — same goes for you two,” he said, to which Romy almost _couldn’t_ control her eye-roll that she’d been trying so hard to suppress around her Commander. “Please, just warm up to each other a little bit. You always act like the others just killed your dog.” Gabriel finished, referring to Genji and Romy. 

On that awkward note, the meal came to an end and the recruits found themselves trudging back to their hotel rooms. McCree seemed to have something on his mind the whole walk towards the rooms, pausing at the end of the hallway that led to their doors. 

“Y’know, this is supposed to be a holiday of sorts too,” he started, putting his hands on his hips. “To celebrate you ladies becoming official agents of Blackwatch. So, tell me. Why the hell, if we have an extra night, aren’t we _celebrating_?”

“Because not all of us are alcoholic cowboys?” Romy answered, side-eyeing the man.

“Hey, I’ll take that as a fuckin’ compliment,” he laughed, pointing a warning finger at the feisty old friend of his.

“Celebrate how?” Sofia questioned, folding her arms over her chest and honestly considering the thought. It would do no harm, after all. It was an opportunity to really become friends with people, properly. These were rare chances for her.

“Well, I brought whiskey in my luggage—” 

“Of course,” Romy scoffed, exchanging looks with Sofia as the Mexican girl began to smile wide. “Alcoholic cowboy.”

“I’ve never been drunk before,” Sofia admitted. “What’s it like?”

“Oh—ho, wow, that’s even more of a sign we _should_ do it, ladies,” McCree grinned, turning his head dramatically to look at the other man present, who barely paid attention to the whole conversation and questioned why he was even still standing there. 

Genji gave him a shrug in response. “I will probably pass…”

“Oh, don’t be a killjoy. It’s about time you got a little more friendly with the women of the group. It could do you some good. We could maybe even play some strip poker—”

“Um,” Romy interrupted, tapping her foot on the floor as she crossed her arms and basically made herself identical to Sofia. “Taking advantage of an innocent, first-time drunk like that, Jesse. I thought you were better than that.”

“Well, you didn’t say no,” he made eye-contact with the redhead and gave a wink. “Strip poker like the good ol’ days, Rome. I know you remember. You and Ashe used to get your t—”

“Okay! Looks like Sofia is going to try alcohol for the first time… Woo-hoo! Let’s go… and play poker. And change the subject.” Romy grabbed Sofia’s arm and pushed the girl back towards the end of the hall where the cowboy stood.

“I’ll kick your ass at poker…” Sofia mumbled under her breath, eyes flicking onto McCree once the words left her mouth. “Just saying.”

“Watch your mouth, little lady, it might get you into trouble,” warned McCree, his tone nothing less than playful as he turned to lead the way.. “Genji, get your ass movin’. You ain’t gettin’ outta this one. Follow me ladies—oh, shit. Better get the whiskey and cards.”

“Only the essentials,” commented Romy.

McCree led them downstairs to the outdoor pool area, where it was almost completely dark par for the underpool lights and string lights decorating a decked area with chairs and tables scattered around. It was completely desolate, considering everybody had either gone on a bar crawl or to bed. McCree pulled lounge chairs together to form a circle, and tipped out the innards of the poker box before handing out everybodies cards, using handfuls of credits in place of poker chips. 

McCree lit a cigar and bit it between his teeth. He grinned to himself before tossing a pile of coins into the middle. Sofia knew that from his undisputed cocky behaviour that he’d be bluffing, and the only person she worried about losing to was Genji due to his surreal poker face. However, come the end of the first round, Sofia won with a flush run of cards after calling McCrees bluff.

Jesse pulled his plaid overshirt off, leaving him in a white undershirt. 

“Now, it’s only fair,” he began, grabbing his scotch whiskey bottle and a small glass. He filled it half-way, handing it over to Sofia who eyed the rusted-gold liquid with apprehension. “Neck it!”

Without thinking twice, she took the whole glass and swallowed before she could register just how much she’d regret taking it all at once. The drink felt hot in her throat, with a smoky aftertaste so overwhelming that it was her body's natural reaction to cough.

“That’s disgusting,” she commented, her eyes watering as she covered her mouth to contain a splutter. “You drink this stuff? Like, for fun?”

“It’s like water where he’s from, Sofia,” Romy smirked. “When it’s all there is to drink, you learn to like it. I don’t think you should give her anymore, Jesse. It’s hardly a good first drink.”

“I am _fine_ ,” Sofia assured, “now deal the cards, loser.”

McCree held his hands up before dealing out a fresh set of cards. This turn, Genji won against Romy, both of whom kept raising their stakes before Romy lost the bet. They both revealed their cards, to which Genji revealed he had a full run of ace cards. The looks they exchanged after that were deadly.

“Oh, you mother—” 

“Less talkin’, more strippin’,” McCree demanded, tapping his glass of whiskey on the table impatiently. 

“Okay, pervert,” Romy grumbled, wasting no time in pulling her shirt over her shoulders. “Happy now?”

“Very,” the man responded, though he held eye contact and dared not to let his eyes drift south.

Sofia was feeling the effects of the alcohol already, but it didn’t slip past her when Genji gave her friend a sneaky, silent, up-and-down with his eyes from behind the cloak of his hood. When his eyes met hers, caught red-handed, she quickly realised it was her turn to play.

The game went on for a few hours, well into the night. Sofia had given into McCree’s pressure and had a few more shots of the disgusting beverage. Romy and the cowboy ended up being the closest to naked, both very sore losers and loud at it. Genji remained his quiet self. 

“In your face!” Sofia said, laughing to herself as she scooped up the pile of credits, barely able to contain them in her arms. She was definitely louder and more relaxed now that the whiskey had hit her head. “I’ll remember you all when I’m rich and famous.”

“I _am_ rich,” Romy said smugly, playfully sticking her middle finger up at the other girl. “And arguably famous. Well, _infamous_.”

“God knows how you still got that money after all those years,” a very tipsy McCree mused, taking a long drag of his cigar. 

“It’s called being smart with your money, asshole,” Romy shot back, scooping up her t-shirt and holding it against her chest. “I’m freezing my ass off out here. Can we head back?”

Everyone nodded, mumbling in agreements about how they should head back and get some sleep before throwing on their estranged clothes. Considering Sofia had been sat down most of the time, she wasn’t exactly aware of just how _drunk_ she was, to which the effects hit her like a brick wall when she tried to rush to her feet and immediately wobbled. 

“Woah there,” McCree slurred, hastily catching her fall. Sofia burst into a fit of giggles, not entirely sure what she was feeling at that moment — the only thing she knew for sure was that the ground was spinning. “Looks like someone had a bit too much to drink.”

“All thanks to you,” Romy butt in teasingly, taking a hold of Sofia’s arm, gently but firmly. “Come on — let’s get you to bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all ain't ready for the next chapter!! it's beefy and dramatic as hell
> 
> -kat


	10. The Auction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone,
> 
> i've been illustrating both OCs for fun and to also give a little idea of what we envisioned them to look like.  
> i've linked in the drawing for you all to see.  
> enjoy the chapter!
> 
> \- danni

**Paris, France** ****

**12:32PM**

“I bet you’re regretting it now, aren’t you?” Romy commented, a sly smirk on her face as she watched Sofia slowly come to light, her hair a mess around her half-awake face. She simply groaned in response, throwing her head back into the pillow. She wasn’t totally hungover, only suffering from a wave of queasiness.

“Don’t ever let me drink again.” 

Romy laughed, clipping her hair back. “Come on — get up and take a shower.”

“What time is it even?” The other asked, rubbing at her eyes to soothe herself.

“It’s twelve-thirty,” Romy answered, turning her back to Sofia before she could notice the horrified expression she had on her face. “You overslept. Alcohol knocks some people the fuck out. Lucky for you there’s no commander here to give you shit for it.”

Sofia squinted her eyes, unable to process that she’d slept in so late. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her dead limbs, she rolled out of the bed. “What time are we leaving for the event?” She asked with a yawn. 

“The _auction_ begins at five, the after party should be around eight. It’s basically an opportunity for rich people to spend money just because they _can_ , and then celebrate themselves after as if it’s something praiseworthy.”

“So I should get ready?” Sofia asked, wondering if it would really take that long for her to get ready. 

“I said you should _shower_.” Romy reminded her, to which Sofia brushed it off before begrudgingly dragging her wash essentials and running into the bathroom. Just as Romy hurd the spurt of the shower hose, a knock came from the front of their hotel room door. “Read the- uh, lire le signe— pas de bonne, merci.”

McCree opened and peeked his head around the door, his face completely dumbfounded. “What’s that? I don’t speak Italian.”

“First of all, that’s offensive. Second of all, I could’ve been naked. Third of all, Sofia _is_ naked, in the shower. Get out.”

“I brought food,” he said, presenting a mixed plate of options from the hotel’s buffet. “Sofia didn’t show at breakfast, so I thought she’d appreciate it. Practically one of everything.”

“Well, I suppose you owe it to her for forcing all that whiskey down her throat,” Romy smirked, folding her arms. She nodded at Sofia’s bed, not moving from her defensive position. “Drop it there. And _go_ ,” the redhead instructed, watching her friend closely as he did as told. 

“Alright, alright, I’m gone,” he held his hands up apologetically, narrowing his eyes when they made contact with hers. “And don’t you ladies take all day, now.”

When the door shut behind him, Sofia emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and another between her hands, patting down her thick, chocolate hair. The sight of the food on her bed made her stomach grumble, aching to get something other than alcohol down her. 

“Did McCree bring this? I heard him in the room.” Sofia questioned, sitting on the bed and placing the plate on her lap, ready to devour the food in just her towel. 

“Yep, you heard right.” Romy sat at her mirror as the girl behind her ate, making a start on her make-up. She’d made it her personal duty to glam Sofia up, and four hours didn’t seem like anywhere near enough time to do the both of them. “He’s trying to sweeten you up for being the reason you woke up feeling so rough.”

“I consented,” Sofia shrugged, taking a bite of some pineapple. “I’m an adult. I make my own choices. He shouldn’t feel bad.”

“Then you should’ve _made the choice_ to set an alarm so I don’t have four hours to do _both_ our looks,” Romy grumbled, only half-serious. “Hurry up and eat your damn breakfast.”

Sofia spoke with a mouth full of food. “Bite me.”

At around four o’clock, Romy had successfully managed to put together herself and her friend and even given them time to spare. Sofia now had her hair down, curled to perfection in thick ringlets that sat just below her shoulder blades. The dress looked just as beautiful on her body as it did the other night when she tried it on — except this time she had a face full of make-up to accompany it. Romy didn’t lay it on her too thickly, instead, she’d created a more natural look on her nervous friend: covering her large scar and matching her skin tone very well with only light contouring. She _had_ given the girl a light smokey eye, though — just for added sexiness, of course.

When doing her own make-up, Romy had made sure to be quite the opposite of the other. It was imperative that her cover was not blown — after all, she _would_ be walking into a room full of men who work for a man underneath her father. It had been a long time since she’d been face to face with Saburo Gasai, but she’d put money on it that all of his associates were made aware of her treacherous actions. Actually, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she had a bounty on her head. To make sure she wouldn’t be compromised, she’d given herself quite the look: heavy eye make-up with even heavier lashes that made her lids feel weighted; contouring to change the shape of her nose ever so slightly. In fact, she’d gone the extra mile and put in some fake eye contacts — red because, well, rich people love looking anything but natural.

Sofia stared intently in the mirror, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You know, all things considered, I actually like it. I mean, it’s not me but… that’s the point, right?”

“It _is_ you, just with your hair down and make-up on,” Romy pointed out as she pulled on her heels. “You look beautiful because you _are_ beautiful, not because of the make-up. Not to be weird, or anything.”

Under her makeup, Sofia flushed pink. “Thanks,” she answered, feeling a little warm in her dress from the compliment that she wasn’t used to getting. At the door, they heard a knock. 

“Five minutes ‘till the cab is here, agents,” Reyes commented. “You best not be late—”

Romy opened the door as if to make a point. “We’re ready.”

She opened the door, encouraging Sofia to follow. They stepped out of their room to see three impatient men who looked as if they’d been waiting outside the door for the past hour when realistically it was probably five minutes. Genji was clad in a tight-fitting, all-black suit. The head-gear he normally sported had been abandoned, leaving only the artificial material that constructed part of his neck and jaw visible. McCree, on the other hand, sported a classic white and black piece, with his hair hatless and styled a little neater than his usual tousled look. 

McCree adjusted his collar and tie as he turned to speak to Sofia, then extending the crook of his elbow. “You ready for our date night?”

Sofia took his arm and grinned. “I’ve never felt so uncomfortable in all my life.”

He chuckled, gently nudging her in the side. “Well, if it’s any consolation you clean up real nice.”

Genji and Romy stood across from each other, before glancing over at how McCree and Sofia naturally melted into their personas. They then looked back at one another before Romy shook her head as if to say ‘I am _not_ doing that’ and they happily made their way to the cab without rehearsing their PDA. 

“So the job is to get _this_ ,” Gabriel explained, showing a holo-image from his watch of the prototype that they were going to steal. “It is absolutely essential that we don’t let this get into the wrong hands,” he continued, swiping on his watch to show the target in question, Fabien Beabouis. “Our next goal is to get as much information as we can from this guy and escort him out. It’s our first hit but it could be the key to getting the information we need to move further and target the big boss.”

The car slowed to a halt, gravel crunching under the wheels. 

“You ready?” Commander Reyes questioned, to which everybody nodded. He opened the car door, letting the ladies lead the way first, the men close behind. McCree and Sofia quickly returned to their acting, whereas Romy and Genji took a minute to warm up to each other. It was bustling with arriving guests, all clad in the next designer gown or suit. The air smelt of filthy money as each of the guests scanned their tickets through security and made their way through. “Tickets out.”

The ‘couples’ scanned their fake tickets, each of them feeling skeptical as they did so. It was relieving that the scanner beeped green, and they made their way through the grand hall of the massive estate. It was golden and marble historical French architecture, probably costing nothing shy of millions. Dusky lights lit up the front entrance, with security guards packing heat leading them in the correct direction to the open ball-room that had been redesigned as a black-market auction room. It was an illegal process, but money can buy you immunity. 

“Let’s get a drink, shall we? Might as well take advantage of the open bar.” McCree offered, to which Sofia nodded. She was certainly overwhelmed by the atmosphere, so let Jesse lead the way. 

Romy was almost in her element, or at least in an environment that she felt comfortable in. She’d attended hundreds of events like this in the past, and could analyze every attendee like an open book. The minute they’d walked in, she found herself scanning the room with her fake scarlet eyes — but in a way, she was double-checking that nobody had noticed her real identity yet.

“Champagne for the ladies,” Jesse began, handing out two flutes of expensive French champagne to Romy and Sofia, who clinked the glasses in cheers. “Scotch for me and sake for the cyborg.”

Genji stared at the cup in his hands. “I don’t drink anymore. But, thank y--" 

“But it was a lovely, _racist_ gesture,” Romy added, eyeing the other man with a small smirk on her face as she took a small sip from her glass and turned off to speak. “ _Pardonnez-moi, mon ami ici a commandé la mauvaise boisson… désolée_.” The redhead had apologized to the bartender, carefully placing the drink on the counter. 

“ _Je vois. Voulez-vous en commander un autre, madame?_ ” The bartender responded. 

“ _Pas nécessaire. Mon mari ne boit pas_ ,” she smiled softly at the seemingly apologetic employee, giving him a small shrug and a dismissive wave.

“Thanks,” Genji said under his breath. Even though he didn't understand her exchange with the bartender, he appreciated the sentiment. French was not part of his linguistic ability, after all.

Romy didn’t respond.

It was about thirty minutes of drinking and mingling amongst the bustling crowd before their attention was drawn to the dimly-lit stage as the magnificent chandelier light softened to darkness. It might be dark enough to steal with a distraction, but they knew that the risk was far too high to execute a robbery in front of everybody. Historical artifacts and other illegal items were up for auction, causing back and forth bids between the filthy rich guests. They more than likely didn’t even _need_ the items, it was almost as if they bid on them just to prove they could.

“Thirty-thousand credits for the omnic bioscanner.” The auctioneer stated, pounding the hammer as the sale was confirmed. 

"Why isn't he speaking French? We… are in Paris…" Sofia spoke quietly, directing the question at her redhead friend that stood nearby.

"This room is full of foreigners, can't you tell?" Romy replied as if it was obvious. "They share two commonalities: English and _money_."

The next item for sale was the prototype that they were planning to get a hold of, but it wouldn’t be a walk in the park to just take it. 

Reyes slinked beside Genji and Romy, looking nonchalant as the item in question was wheeled to centre stage. He lifted his scotch bearing hand and pointed with a finger, narrowing his eyes. “There’s no chance we get that thing in front of all these people,” he began, scouting the area to check out the heavily-armed security guards. “We’d end up eating bullets. But I did have an idea,” he continued, taking a shot of his scotch. The other item that had been sold was carried off stage by two assistants and taken behind a door that appeared to open through keycard access. “I saw them come out of another door on the way in here. There’s another entry point to get to where the items are being held,” he explained. “I just need you two to get in there.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Romy commented, her lips gracing the crown of her champagne glass. She took the final shot of the beverage, nodding to Genji. “We just need to get a hold of that keycard, then. No way we’re busting in there.”

“Simple,” Genji said, eyes following one of the assistants who appeared to go into the bathroom stalls. Before anybody could comment on what he said, he had already slid through the crowd and made a beeline for the bathroom. Romy could only hope that he was discreet about it. 

McCree and Sofia stood in the thick of the crowd, keeping an eye out for the man they were here to see without trying to draw attention to themselves. 

“It’s almost like he knows somebody is looking for him.” the girl commented, her eyes whizzing around the crowd for what felt like the twentieth time. 

“Yeah… I do find it kinda strange that the host ain’t attending his own party,” McCree grumbled, rubbing at his scruff as he thought. “I betcha he’s gonna make some stupid grand entrance… like an asshole.”

Sofia’s eyes suddenly darted upwards as something caught her eye. Above them were balconies from the upper floor looking down, and a large, expensively-clothed man clung to the banister, staring directly at her. She felt as if his eyes saw _right_ through her, almost as if she’d been compromised by a single glance. Sofia expected him to call security on her right then and there, but instead, he just smiled. 

“Uh… don’t look now, but I think I found our guy.” Sofia whispered, trying to keep her lips still as she turned back to smile to McCree, feigning obliviousness. McCree ran a hand through his hair and glanced up to where she was referring too, but by this point, he’d gone.

“I didn’t see him.”

Sofia pressed her champagne glass against Jesse’s chest for him to take it. “I’ll go look for him.”

He caught her arm before she could take a step. “You know that’s dangerous, right?”

“There’s nothing a rich man loves more than a stupid woman,” Sofia clarified. “He’ll tell me everything I need to know. Trust me.” She finished, turning away from him in pursuit of the target.

Meanwhile, Romy impatiently stood as she waited for Genji to return. He’d been gone for a few solid minutes, and she was starting to wonder whether he’d been caught or not. All of a sudden, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. 

“I got the keycard,” Genji informed her, to which she nodded discreetly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be starting the bidding at one million credits,” the auctioneer spoke. 

“I can get in there… but I’ll need you to buy me some time.”

Romy smirked, reaching into her clutch bag and taking out a small pair of round sunglasses. If she was going to bring attention to herself and start bidding, she’d need a little coverage. “I’ll start bidding at five mil, but you’d better not take long.” For some reason, she found the idea a little exciting.

Reyes almost choked on his whiskey. “ _Bidding?_ Like hell, you will.”

“Keep your voice down and relax,” Romy scolded her own commander, looking straight forward at the auctioneer and paying no mind to the other. “By any means necessary we get the prototype, remember?”

Before he could protest anymore, Romy had disappeared into the crowd and made her way closer to where most of the bidders stood, picking up a paddle. Genji took his opportunity to move, aiming to raise no suspicion amongst the armed thugs. He had already scoped out the entrance to the storage room where sold items were kept, but it too was heavily guarded -- as expected. Using the stolen card, he would have to plan another route. The cyborg slowly made his way around the crowd, blending almost perfectly into it as his eyes scanned for another way through the building.

“Alright,” he muttered, quiet enough that no bystanders would hear but loud enough for the earpiece to pick up. “I think I found the entry point.”

“I’m holding off for now,” Romy informed him, watching as two men caught themselves in a bidding war, constantly raising the price for the item and therefore making it last longer. “I’m letting the testosterone do my job for me.”

“I see where they hold the cargo,” Genji responded, his voice quiet. “There are guards. It’s too dangerous for me yet.”

The bidding started to die down. There was more hesitation on either end of the bidders, and when Romy peered over her glasses she noticed that one of them started to back out of the war altogether.

“Going once… going twice— Six million to the lady with the red hair.”

Romy had, without a second thought, lifted her paddle. The attention was immediately drawn to her, and she held her confidence with a strong posture. The auctioneer nodded respectfully, turning back to the man who seemed heatedly frustrated at the fact a woman had entered the bid so abruptly. 

“Do I hear six and a half?”

Through the earpiece, Romy could hear thuds and grunts which indicated to her that Genji had made some sort of move on the guards protecting the bounty in the back rooms. She held her cool, maintaining eye contact with the man she was bidding against from behind her shaded glasses. A small smirk fell across her lips.

“I have to take another route,” Genji explained. “The keycard doesn’t work on the other side of the door.” He added.

Romy raised her paddle to keep the stakes going. “I don’t know how many bids this guy has got left in him — hurry up.”

Genji had found an alternate route through an upstairs passageway. It required ventilator access, but it was easily done with a simple trick. “Just keep going. I’m almost there.”

The look on the face of Romy’s bidding opponent was fuel for her fire. It satisfied her to watch a rich man crumble as she taunted him, especially when this rich man was more than likely a warlord. 

“I’m in.”

Those two words were all it took for Romy to feel the sickly smirk grow bigger on her face. With one final lift of her paddle, and her eyes directly on the man, she was against. 

“Ten million credits.”

“Romy, what the _Hell_ are you doing?” Reyes growled through the intercom. 

“Enjoying myself, Commander,” she answered, reveling in the shock of the crowd as they tried to process the bid she had put down. “Live a little.”

“That’s ten million to the madame with the red hair. Do I hear Eleven?” The auctioneer asked, and Romy watched as her opponent shook his head in defeat. “No, sir? That’s ten million then. Going once… going twice… Sold!”

“Genji — once you get a hold of the item, get out as fast as you can,” Reyes ordered. There was no response, but he knew the message was received. “Everybody else, relocate by the doors.”

Romy took one last look at the man she’d won against before she turned abruptly and made her way towards where McCree and Reyes stood. Her commander gave her a sour look — to which Romy pouted smugly behind her glasses. The cowboy couldn’t help but chuckle, feeling somewhat proud of his friend.

Meanwhile, Sofia had wandered her way through the grand hall and up the magnificent marble staircase in hopes of running into Fabien, who had stared through her. She positioned herself where she saw him once stood, her hands gently resting on the banister as she quietly watched the auction from above. 

“Well, well, well,” a gruff voice came from behind her. The thick French accent was an indicator that he was the man she was looking for. “I _thought_ we had a moment back then. But I did not expect you to come looking for me.”

Sofia felt a chill run down her neck as she turned around to face him, trying hard to feign a relaxed composure. “How do you know I was looking for you?”

Fabien simply hummed out in amusement, leering at the girl in front of him as if she were something to own. “It was obvious, chérie...”

“Well… maybe I thought the view might be better from up here,” she started, turning back and resting her elbows on the balcony. “Don’t you just _love_ auctions? I love to see everything that’s on sale.”

“My name is Fabien. Fabien Beaubois. And you are?” The man introduced himself but got no name in response, Sofia still pretending to be enticed by the event below. It didn’t bother him, however. In fact, he’d found himself more infatuated by the girl’s seemingly exotic accent and obliviousness. “Where are you from, mon trésor?”

Sofia chuckled lightly, tossing a strand of her curled hair over her shoulder. “That’s a very personal question, sir.”

“Oh, I’m just trying to get to know you,” he breathed out, taking a few steps closer to his new obsession. “You can’t blame me for that. You are the one who came looking for me, after all. Besides, there are much better things to see than this… _junk_ on sale.”

Sofia’s ears perked. “What could possibly be better?”

Fabien extended the crook of his arm. “Why don’t you let me show you, chérie?”

Even though she didn’t understand the language, she could tell apart the creepy nicknames that kept coming from his mouth very easily. Of course, she smiled sweetly and made her way forward, taking his offer and feigning interest.

He led her into a large office room, again guarded by heavily-armed men who nodded at Fabien and unlocked the door for him to enter and locked it securely behind him. Sofia swallowed, feeling as if she was getting into a dangerous situation. However, she kept her cool knowing that this could be the difference between knowing something critical or not.

“It’s… magnificent,” Sofia said in feigned awe, staring at the artifacts, omnic parts, and expensive-looking items dotted around the room of a large, extensive office. “Is all of this yours?”

“Collecting is a, uh, hobby of mine, you could say,” Fabien drawled, watching as Sofia mindlessly stroked a golden omnic hand with the tip of her finger. It appeared to be a very old design, perhaps from one of the first-ever models. “It is not my only interest, though…”

“But why are you not downstairs, enjoying the show?” Sofia mused, skipping over his obvious attempt to flirt. 

“Please,” the man scoffed as he was dismissed, refusing to let the rejection stop him in his tracks. “What is there to enjoy? I am simply a host and this is one auction out of _thousands_ already done. It is boring, there is no flavour.”

“But what about the prototype? I know many guests were _very_ excited to see it,” Sofia urged, wanting to reveal any secrets she was convinced he was holding back. “Fabien… you are a very mysterious man.” She said, hoping to sugar-coat him.

“If I may be honest with you, mon amour, it is all staged,” he admitted, a dramatic sigh following his words. “I cannot believe I have been roped into such a _façade_.”

Sofia had to control her facial expressions from being so obvious. It was a _massive_ confession, one that she didn’t realise would be so easy to be revealed. 

“You see I have never met a woman like you,” he confessed, moving himself up close to Sofia. “So you can understand why I must be so honest and open. I cannot lie to someone so… exquisite. You are a masterpiece within yourself.”

“But it does not make sense…” Sofia continued, wanting to draw the dregs from the confession. “Why would you fake an auction?” 

“You are missing the point!” Fabien suddenly lost his temper, growing increasingly more annoyed at the blatant disregard of his affection. “Why do you want to know so much about this doomed business, eh? After you so easily _threw_ yourself onto me. I am giving you the attention you wanted, what else must you ask?!”

_Doomed business_ . _Staged auction._ What did it all mean?

Sofia visibly flinched away from his aggression, feeling the heat of his breath on her face. She never expected him to be so temperamental, but maybe she should’ve been less forceful with her words and questioning. 

“Fabien, I apologize, I was simply trying to start a conversation—”

“It’s okay, chérie.” Sofia seemed to have a charm that he could not resist, and it aided her in calming him down. Fabien reached out to stroke her curls that fell just above her chest. “I know that you are just… interested in me. You are lucky I like you… I did always have a soft spot for _foreign_ girls.”

At this point, Sofia knew that she needed to leave. She’d gotten herself in too deep, but at least she’d gotten the critical information she needed to aid her superiors. Unfortunately, that would prove difficult for her, as Fabien was closer than ever now.

“Come on, you have nothing to say?” He questioned, now moving his other hand to touch her hair as well, moving them up to cup either side of her jaws. “It’s a compliment.”

“I should leave, Fabien.” Sofia tried to say it firmly, but she couldn’t hide the quiver in her voice. She lifted her hands to his, attempting to remove them from her face. 

Fabien ignored her words, staring at her face in such a way that made Sofia almost feel sick. This man may have been some easily fooled creep, but he was certainly a danger to the girl. It didn’t seem like he planned on letting her slip through his fingers. When Sofia tried to remove herself from the situation, Fabien’s grip only tightened on her face and he seemed to be triggered into action. Before she could react, the man was forcing himself onto her, pressing his face into hers.

“Fabien, no—” Sofia shoved at his chest with all her might, feeling immediately sick. She rushed to the door, but her heart dropped when she realised that it was _locked_. And when she turned around, Fabien had already made his way back to her. 

“I see,” he hummed, his expression seemingly entertained — as if Sofia was some kind of challenge for him to rise up to. “How much, then? Hm? I see what kind of woman you are now.” He pushed her against the wall, forcing his lips onto her neck as his hands fondled down her dress. 

Sofia went into fight or flight mode by this point and, because she couldn’t escape, she chose to fight. Her hand reached up behind her head, grabbing the first thing she felt her fingers grasp onto. She smashed it across his head, revealing a small golden globe in her hand that was now speckled with blood from the first immediate hit across his skull. Fabien buckled to the floor, his hands gripping to the length of her dress. 

“Security—!”

Before the words could fully make their way out of his mouth, her instinct was immediately to hit him over the head again to silence him, causing him to fall onto the floor with a feeble hand reaching out in an attempt to stop her attack. The girl had seemed to lose control, as she found herself jumping on top of his weak body and slamming the globe into his head yet again. 

And again. And again. 

The sound of the blunt object smacking into the now lifeless body was all that could be heard, but the girl didn’t stop, _couldn’t_ stop. Commotion sounded from outside of the door but she barely noticed. When the doors burst open, a muffled voice could be distantly heard behind the ringing that drowned out everything else.

“Stop. _Stop._ ” A strong pair of hands soon grasped hold of her and in her frenzy, she almost hit the body connected to them. McCree had caught her wrist, eyeing her with a mix of confusion, shock and disbelief, but comforting all the same. “It’s okay. It’s me, _it’s me_.”

Slowly, she started to regain her awareness, and immediately the sight of her bloodied hands shot her right back to that day of the first man she had ever killed. The golden globe fell to the floor with a heavy thud and her blurred vision soon fizzled as her eyes focused on the man in front of her. 

“Jesse,” Sofia breathed, her eyes pooling.

“Sofia?” McCree said, his eyes immediately lowering to the bloodied body on the floor beside them. “ _Jesus_.” He cursed.

“I—” Sofia’s voice cracked as she took in the sight below her with a pounding chest.

Jesse wasn’t sure how to process what he’d just walked in on, but the one thought that was blaring in his head was to _get her out_. It wouldn’t be long before they were spotted, and they had to deal with this.

  
“Sofia, talk to me,” McCree urged, stress evident in his voice. She lifted her eyes to meet his, her pupils enlarged. “What the _Hell_ happened?”


	11. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gooooooood evening
> 
> chapters are gonna be more spaced out from now on!!!  
> me and kat will be able to write ahead and have them ready to post that way.  
> hope u are all well during quarantine  
> enjoy!
> 
> \- danni

**Overwatch Headquarters, Z** **ürich  
** **9:00PM**

They made their way home that same night with bags hastily packed from the rush of being told that they needed to leave. Sofia had never felt more relieved to get out of her dress, but she’d hoped that the feeling of guilt and disgust would be stripped away alongside it. Much to her dismay, it stuck to her like a second skin. She’d barely washed the blood off her hands before Reyes was pounding on her hotel door, telling them they needed to get out of there. Romy was quiet but supportive, not completely understanding what had happened back at the auction, but knowing enough to not pry. 

When they returned to the base, she tore off from the ship with her luggage, leaving the rest of the crew in a bit of a confused daze. She felt shame and embarrassment burning into her back, as if they were staring her down with judgmental eyes. 

Romy squeezed the handle of her suitcase, turning to McCree. He looked rough, bags already gathering under his eyes, but at the same time she could sense his concern. He was the only one to witness what happened — the rest was just speculation.

“You okay?” She asked. McCree shot his gaze over to her almost lazily, and even with all his visible overthinking and tired expression, he shot her his famous eye-twinkling smirk.

“Peachy,” he drawled, his hand absentmindedly stroking over his Deadlock tattoo. “But never mind me — how’re you holdin’ up?”

She tossed the prototype into the air before swiftly catching it again. “I’m feeling pretty proud of us, actually. I think my distraction techniques were rather impeccable,” she teased, going to throw it again before Reyes snatched it out of her grasp with an unintelligible grumble. “Mood killer.”

“Go to bed.” He snapped back, walking away in the direction of his office quarters. Gabriel was torn between two worlds: he believed that the two girls both had so much individual potential, but it was almost as if they refused to be molded into proper soldiers. He’d not had this much trouble with Genji and McCree before, but maybe it’s because he related to them more… 

Tension in the air is what slowly drifted the remaining three towards their own respective rooms, with no more words exchanged. Although they really didn’t know what was going to come of this, they knew that it was technically a mission failed, and that there were going to be probable consequences that they’d have to deal with the next day. 

* * *

Flat on her back, Sofia stared up at the ceiling of her room with a deadpan expression. Her body was still wired with adrenaline, as if expecting her to need to run or fight again. The event kept playing in her head like a holovid on loop, and it was almost like she could _still_ feel his disgusting hands on her body, and feel the sickening thud of the globe against his skull. 

Shooting up out of bed, she decided it was best to go get a shower in the hopes that she could calm herself down enough to sleep and hopefully feel a little bit cleaner on the inside, too. She scrubbed and scrubbed at her skin, feeling itchy and vulnerable. When she’d finished, she still felt shaky and weak, so decided the best way to feel strong again would be to train it out of herself, and if that failed then at least she’d wear herself out. 

Taped-fists made impact with hanging punching bags creating deep smacks and thuds that echoed around the dark, empty centre — it was eerie, but it surrounded her with noises and sensations that she could focus on.

“Aren’t you like… supposed to be able to see what you’re doin’?” 

The lights flickered on, causing her to wince against the sudden change. Jesse stepped into view, sporting a plain t-shirt, joggers and socks, as if he’d rolled out of bed and followed her here, cigar half-smoked between his teeth. Screwing her eyebrows, she turned back to the punching bag. She definitely felt skeptical, wondering how he knew she was there and why he turned up in the first place.

“And aren’t you not supposed to smoke indoors?”

“Well, there’s nobody awake to tell me off,” he chuckled, blowing a cloud of smoke before promptly wafting it away. “So, uh… about what happened back there…” 

Sofia frowned harder, delivering a final punch before turning to face him properly. “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m not gonna pry anything outta you,” he assured the girl, eyes locked on hers as he did so. It was almost like a switch had flipped, and instead of feeling irritated the mood now felt sombre. “But I saw what I saw, and now I’m just tryin’ to understand what happened…”

“I just _fucked up_ , okay? I really don’t want to think about it.” She said firmly, beginning to untape her fists as she readied herself to leave. 

The man knew what had happened, witnessed it with his own eyes. Sofia seemed too distressed to look deeper into the question and see that it was _why_ she did it, that he wanted to understand. It was clear to him that it wasn’t going to come out of her easily, and it’d be best to let her brush it under the rug for now. When it became apparent she was going to leave, he stood upright and moved so that he was barely a metre away from her.

“Look,” he began softly, reaching out to touch her arm. The motion was careful and slow, so she wasn’t alarmed by the sensation. “We haven’t had much time to get to know each other more, but already you should know I see you as more than just a comrade. Now, don’t get me wrong… you strike me as the type of person who hasn’t had many friends in her life. So, maybe you don’t understand what it’s like having someone to lean on. But I just want you to know that when you’re ready, and _if_ you decide you need to share your woes with someone, I’ll be here.”

Sofia froze in place. His words touched her in a way she’d never felt before, and she almost instantaneously felt warmth flooding behind her eyes as if the words he’d said were everything she’d needed to hear. But this wasn’t Sofia. She was never allowed to be vulnerable. The defences shot up almost as fast as they came down. 

Without turning to make eye contact, she freed her arm to leave. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

* * *

**Meeting Room  
** **5:01PM**

“How could you let this _happen_?”

“I thought you said you had it all under control!”

“This could ruin the entire operation!”

Sofia was sitting silently, staring at her hands as the argument became poisonous in the room. The words that were being thrown so aggressively bounced around in her head — they were heard, but they weren’t being processed. Her brain was fried from a lack of sleep, and from the trauma that kept playing like a broken record in her head. 

Leg bouncing. Nail biting. Deep breaths.

“Sofia.”

Commander Reyes’ voice was so loud and deep that the abundance of yelling and talking was brought to an immediate halt as everybody turned to hang on his every word and, most importantly, see the girl's response. Sofia felt the weight of the room's eyes on her, and her ears rang from the sudden silence. Without a verbal response, she glanced up at her commander as if waiting for his next words. 

“What. Happened?”

Sofia glanced over at Romy who gave her kind, comforting and supporting eyes that yelled ‘I’m here for you’, and it was the slight warmth of knowing she had a friend to lean on and back her up that gave her a slight boost of confidence. 

“ _Sofia._ ”

The redhead woman moved across the room to situate herself next to her friend, her arms folded over her chest the whole time. “ _Look at her_. Do you think Sofia would risk blowing our cover for no reason? Stop _interrogating_ her and give her time to breathe.” 

Reyes’ face was a sour picture at this point. “You can _never_ just shut your mouth, can you? _You_ could’ve compromised us, too. I don’t think you should even try butting in right now.” 

McCree grit his teeth. Even Genji would disagree with Reyes on this one, and he was usually the more logical, level-headed of the bunch — always doing what he was told. But this just felt too unreasonable, to both of them. However, before they could get a word in, Sofia stood to her feet. 

“You call yourself a leader?” She spat, a rush of energy entering her bones. “You’re a terrible leader! You bully your agents, you blame everything on them! You wanna know what happened, _Reyes?_ ”

Nothing came from her now shocked commander and it only fueled her more.

“I got everything I needed to know,” she started, placing a hand to her pounding head. “If you’d opened your eyes you might have noticed. The business is _failing_ , Fabien told me himself! It was a _staged_ auction, full of fakes. And, if his connections are going bankrupt, then Gasai must be too.” Sofia paused to take a deep breath. “Is that good enough for you?”

Silence followed her words, and her sudden abrupt burst of boldness dissipated as fast as it appeared. The fact that Reyes now suddenly had nothing to say made her _angry_ , but she twisted on her heel and left the room.

It was safe to say the commander wasn’t the only one surprised by her sudden outburst. Surprised would be an understatement actually, stunned was more the word. The normally quiet and reserved one had actually managed to successfully shut up her superior and leave him completely lost for words. After she’d gotten over her own shock, Romy revelled in the look on Gabriel’s face for a few moments. And as she stood to follow after the furious girl, she clapped her hands together as if to wake everyone from their speechlessness. 

“Well,” she broke the silence, glancing over to where Commander Morrison and Captain Amari were standing as they exchanged eye contact with one another. “Looks like _father dearest_ is struggling a bit more than I thought.” And after those words, the door was soon closing behind her as she pursued her friend.

“Great talk, Commander.” Jesse said, his voice dripping in sarcasm as he adjusted his hat and followed the girls out of the room. Genji, although the last to go, wasn’t exactly pleased with the handling of the matter at hand and made it a point himself to also leave, until Reyes was left dumbfounded with the company of Ana and Jack. 

When Romy caught up with Sofia, she didn’t have to ask much more about the situation. Not that she would, out of respect for her friend’s clear lack of wanting to share. But from what had been explained to her by Jesse, it didn’t seem so mysterious to the redhead. Let’s just say she’d already thought Fabien Beaubois had a pervert look about him, and she understood the burden of being a woman who just wanted to look good around said perverted men.

“That was kind of awesome, you know,” Romy said with a grin, playfully nudging her friend in the side as she tried to lighten the mood. “Did you see his face? Priceless.”

Sofia feigned a smile, continuing to walk.

“He didn’t know what he was talkin’ about,” McCree continued, the sting of yesterday's rejection slipping away. “I think he’s just stressed, though. Usually he means well…”

Romy made a noise that showed she didn’t totally agree with his statement. 

“Honest!”

“I don’t know what he expects from us,” Romy stressed. Now that both of the new recruits had somewhat compromised their missions, it got the redhead thinking. “I know you’re trying to make us feel better about how much of an asshole Reyes is, but… this is not what we’re used to.”

“Can we please just not talk about it?” Sofia finally huffed out, stopping in her tracks but not turning to face the others. “I regret it all, honestly. But I don’t want to think about it…”

The two men stopped as soon as Sofia did, only a few steps behind her. Romy stood by her friend, eyeing her with concern but understanding nevertheless.

“Nobody’s going to force it out of you,” the other girl assured. When silence followed, Romy glanced over to McCree and Genji for assistance, but received none. Nobody knew how to help the troubled girl.

Sofia was in a world of her own — she had been since that night in Paris. Throughout her life she’d been in many uncomfortable, dangerous situations, so it wasn’t like she didn’t know how to recover from them. There was something a little strange and different about this situation, however. Maybe it had something to do with how vulnerable she felt, or how out of her comfort zone she was in all that glamour. Despite all the confusion, the one thing she was sure of was the thing she wanted to block out of her head the most: someone had _died_ at her hands. 

It had been so many years since that night, where she’d promised herself she wouldn’t kill another human being. Even though this time she felt like she _had_ to, for her own safety, it still didn’t sit right with her. 

Romy sensed something in the air, a sort of tingle that ran up her spine that made her move closer to her friend and take her by the shoulders. The redhead pushed the nearly rigid Sofia further down the hallway, right to a large window with seats built into it. As soon as they sat down together, Sofia cracked.

And as she covered her face, the girl sobbed heavily — trying her hardest to keep the ‘weakness’ quiet. Romy held onto her friend’s side as she let it all out, leaving her to do so and not smothering her. 

Everyone that witnessed the scene could understand where Sofia came from, why she kept everything so tightly close to her and wouldn’t let her feelings show. Every one of her companions knew the burden of abandoning your emotion for so long, what it was like when you finally broke. McCree and Genji stood close by, a look of worry on the cowboy’s face as the cyborg watched Sofia in thought — piecing together the puzzle. Things made somewhat more sense to him now.

The night of their first objective, where Sofia had refused to kill a human man yet had no struggle against omnic beings… Although Genji didn’t understand what had driven her to kill Fabien Beaubois, it still occurred to him the severity of how much Sofia detested killing. If he didn’t believe he was the only person in this situation that understood the most, he wouldn’t have mentioned anything.

“Sofia,” Genji spoke, and it was firm. “The person you are isn’t defined by the evil people that you must kill.”

McCree and Romy were almost surprised that he had felt the need to attempt to assure and comfort the girl. It was unlike the man to say much, but he must have _really_ felt the need to say something. And it seemed to work just the tiniest bit.

Sofia’s sobbing had slowed until she was quiet, clearly deep in thought from the cyborg’s words. McCree noticed the change first and made his way over to sit by her free side, resting a supportive hand on her shoulder. 

“He’s right,” the man now sitting next to her spoke, his deep voice laced with sincerity. “We are _Blackwatch_ , which means we get down to the nitty gritty sides of things… Unfortunately, we don’t get to bare the heroic reputation those in Overwatch do. But the things we do, killing all these bad people — it saves lives, Sof…”

Once Romy came to realise Sofia’s problem centered more around killing than being sexually harassed, she felt almost guilty for not knowing. There were things she had done in her past that she wasn’t proud of, but her worst years had diminished and she learned to overcome it. It would be a lie if she said she didn’t feel upset for her friend.

The Mexican girl was nothing less than grateful, even if she felt embarrassed from the slip up. “I know,” she answered, her voice quiet and ever so slightly tremulous. Sofia wiped at her face with her hands, taking a big breath in as she prepared to speak again. “I know what we do is for the greater good, but I… uh.” 

Even though her friends were able to help her regain her composure, it didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t happy to share her demons with them.

“It’s okay,” Romy spoke now, a soft smile on her lips. “You don’t have to tell us anything, like I said.”

“We could do with a distraction, couldn’t we, Sof?” McCree suggested, patting the once distressed girl on the back before getting to his feet. It was always a talent of his to change an awkward mood to something more fun. “Why don’t we eat out for dinner tonight? My treat. I know a great traditional Swiss place nearby… I’m sure we’ll be allowed. I suppose Genji and Romy can tag along too…” And when Sofia looked up at him at the mention of food, McCree gave her a cheeky wink. 

It made her smile ever so slightly.

McCree seemed to know the best place to take them, though anywhere would’ve been appreciated considering food seemed to be the best way to warm Sofia’s soul. He brought them across what appeared to be a fast-food restaurant — ninety percent grease and ten percent goodness, but everybody liked it once in a while.

Sofia sat in the red booth next to the cowboy opposite their two friends, scanning the menu and being overwhelmed by the options. Genji and Romy looked nothing less than impressed, and McCree was having a field day eyeing the greasy, American foods. 

“I don’t even know where to start,” Sofia said in awe, enjoying the brief distraction. There were too many options to comprehend, considering it was her first time in a restaurant. Much like her first time at the buffet in the cafeteria, she wanted to order a portion of everything, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Sensing her confusion, McCree pointed on the menu to the classic cheeseburger and fries combo.

“You ever tried that before?” He asked, his menu folded in front of him as he’d already settled on his order.

She shook her head and shrugged, pursing her lips as she continued to absentmindedly rove over the options.

“Really? That’s sacrilege, you know. It’s a damn classic.” He said, leaning his arm against the top of the booth chair. “It’s settled. You’re orderin’ a cheeseburger.”

Sofia didn’t argue — it helped her narrow down her options. 

“I’m gonna have the barbecue baby back ribs,” McCree then announced, smacking his lips together at the thought. “With some fries, a few onion rings… de-lish.” 

Romy frowned at the menu, not really having much of an appetite. “I thought you said this was a traditional _Swiss_ place… It seems very American to me.”

“And just how much of your life did you spend in the states, huh? Did you just _not eat_? The food here’s great… stop bein’ picky.”

“Bold of you to assume that I didn’t _cook_ my own food,” Romy grumbled, closing her menu. “Just get me something light… I’m not really hungry at all.” Ever since she’d been given the shot from Dr. Ziegler, her appetite was next to nothing. 

The American man didn’t bother arguing with the redhead anymore. Instead, he made sure he knew what Genji wanted before getting to his feet and making his way over to the counter to order for everyone. It was his treat, after all.

It wasn’t long before they were all feasting, the atmosphere having changed immensely. Sofia felt warm on the inside, _happy_. Obviously she still had a lot of stuff to work out and get over, but right now all she could do was bask in the positive distraction their shared laughter provided. Hell, even Genji was laughing. 

When she glanced at McCree, they shared a short moment of eye contact and behind his soft eyes, she was reminded of the words he’d said the night before. Maybe Sofia really was experiencing the love of a genuine friendship.


	12. Side Effects

**Overwatch Headquarters, Z** **ürich  
** **One Month Later**

After the night of the auction, Overwatch lacked the ability to provide Blackwatch with assignments and intel, which meant they were essentially in the dark about what would happen next. It was pretty much just a waiting game at this point — one where everyone had to keep themselves occupied to stay sane.

Sofia still hadn’t fully recovered from that dreaded night, though she had definitely improved on controlling her thoughts and was able to unload some of the weight and pressure that had been holding her down. At this point in time, she felt as if she were going through a rough period of change that didn’t quite make sense to her; as if she were constantly debating whether she would allow herself to humour the idea of rebuilding the person she was. Over the past few weeks, she’d had the opportunity to spend more time with McCree and it had helped her warm up to the idea of a close friendship, and he was definitely opening her eyes in many different ways. 

Currently, they were chatting amongst themselves as they sat in their regular corner to eat breakfast, only this time they were lacking the company of their other two friends. This brought a thought to the surface for Sofia.

“Where are they?” It was asked out of pure curiosity, not nosiness. 

The cowboy across from her instantly knew, as he had been thinking the same simultaneously. “I don’t know, but it _is_ getting a little weird…”

It had been going on since a few days after the auction night, the unusual close friendship between Genji and Romy. It was unusual because it was everyone’s impression that the two didn’t get along, so for them to suddenly start spending more time together was definitely alien. Not that Sofia and McCree were opposed to it — it wasn’t their place to be, after all.

“What do you mean ‘weird’?” The Latina asked, tilting her head before taking a sip of her chocolate milk and placing it down.

“You kiddin’?” Jesse leaned his head forward and raised his eyebrows at her. “Y’must be. I can’t believe it… you don’t think they’re…?”

“They’re what?” Sofia was completely oblivious still, taking a bite out of her egg and bacon breakfast sandwich. “Just say it, damn.”

“Sleeping together,” the man said, so bluntly that it shocked the chocolate milk right out of the other’s mouth. She hadn’t come to that conclusion herself, in fact, she’d barely noticed that they’d been spending time _together_ , she just assumed they were doing their own individual thing. “Y’know, _gettin’ it on_.”

“But… _how_?” Sofia asked, lowering her voice as she wiped away the chocolate milk from around her mouth. 

McCree frowned. “Whaddya mean, ‘how’?”

“Like…” the girl continued, swallowing uncomfortably. “Does he even—” she shook her head, cutting herself off before she could finish, feeling far too awkward to get through the entire sentence. “Have a…”

“Have a what?” He pressed, eyeing her from over the top of his coffee mug as he took a sip.

“Come on… _you know_ … a—” she cut herself off again, groaning into her hands, anticipating the sheer embarrassment she was going to feel after the question she was about to ask. “Doesheevenhaveapenis?” 

This time, McCree was the one choking on his drink. When he recovered himself, he couldn’t help but crack up at her words. The laugh that sounded out was loud, and it sort of made Sofia self-conscious that any people nearby heard what she’d said. 

“Oh my lord,” Jesse sighed out, the delivery wobbled by his amusement. “Dear God, Sof. I can’t believe you—” the pause he gave was another attempt to stop the laughter erupting from him once again. Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled through his mouth loud. “Genji does have a penis, yes.”

Sofia buried herself further into her hands, burning from embarrassment from his stubbornly loud voice that she was sure at least every table within a ten-metre proximity could hear. 

_Why did she bother asking such a stupid question?_

"Hey, hey," McCree calmed down quickly enough to speak seriously, noticing she was genuinely ashamed of asking. "It _was_ weird, but don't worry 'bout it. The curiosity makes sense. I asked myself the same question… til I saw it for myself."

"Ew, what?" Sofia looked up from her hands, a now mortified expression across her face. "You…"

The realisation became apparent in the man. "Oh! No, no — not like that. It wasn't weird — it was in the… I walked in on… y'know what? Let's move on from this subject."

Glad to finally be doing so, Sofia quietly agreed to change the subject — a small smile gracing her lips. That man was such a mess.

"Looks like the subject change might be a little harder than I thought," McCree muttered, taking another sip from his coffee and nodding behind Sofia, toward the canteen entrance.

As Romy and Genji entered the cafeteria together, Sofia noticed they were sporting their lazy training outfits. The redhead wore a cropped tank and tight cyclist leggings, whereas the cyborg wore a simple tight black shirt and basketball shorts. When she thought about it, they really did look like they were a couple. They seemed different than they used to be and, whether this had been going on for a while or not, also seemed to have completely different auras around each other.

Sofia couldn't help but watch as they glanced over and waved, her redhead friend softly smiling in her direction before she held two fingers up to tell them: _two minutes._ The girl had nodded in response, but it didn't stop her from observing as they picked up their breakfast and made light conversation -- Romy _chuckling_ at something the man had said.

"I'm starting to think you're not just making up a conspiracy," Sofia told Jesse, before turning back to face the man and her food. "Good for them."

“Good for who?” Romy speculated, taking a bite of her green apple slice before settling down her tray and sitting next to Sofia.

“Oh, nobody,” McCree brushed off, shooting Sofia a look that almost made her double over in a fit of giggles, but she managed to compose herself. “You got the special for this morning?”

Romy frowned, chewing an apple slice. “I didn’t know there was a special.”

“It was sausage,” Jesse said blankly, as he kept eye contact with the Mexican girl, stroking his hand over his mouth to cover up the small smile forming.

Sofia choked for a brief second on the next bite of her breakfast wrap as she tried but failed to contain her laughter. McCree had a stupid, shit-eating grin on his face, even more so when Genji and Romy looked equally confused by this inside joke the others seemed to be sharing, but decided that it was just another one of their antics and promptly refused to take the bait.

“Whatever, you’re just being weird,” Romy commented, rolling her eyes as she picked up another slice of her fruit. “We were just training. And I get a little too competitive and forget breakfast is a thing…”

Even though she clearly hadn’t been observant enough to notice her friends hanging around each other so much, Sofia still picked up on a change in Romy. The girl seemed calmer, less abrasive, and in control of herself. It was refreshing to see but also slightly strange. Even though it was likely the time spent with Genji was changing her character, there was still something off about it that Sofia picked up on. 

“So what’s on today's agenda of day twenty-five with nothing to do?” Sofia asked, cutting through the sudden silence. 

Romy smiled at the question as she looked down at her plate and ate. It would be a lie if she said it wasn’t heart-warming to see Sofia talking more and just _being comfortable_ around her friends now. However, the smile soon dropped off her face as if something from within was reigning back her happiness. Forcing her smile, she pushed aside her barely touched tray of food.

“Probably gonna train some more.” Romy shrugged, the urge to feel a burst of adrenaline again triggering itself. 

“I thought you _just_ trained?” McCree questioned, his eyes flickering to the food that she’d discarded. There was hardly anything to begin with as if she’d never had an appetite in the first place, regardless of how much exercise she’d just done. 

“Your point is?” Romy didn’t understand why McCree sounded so accusatory, and she hadn’t missed his watchful eyes either. “I’m just preparing myself for something bigger. If I don’t train, I won’t improve. Simple.”

“You’re not gonna be ready for whatever’s coming our way in the future if you can’t even eat,” Jesse rebuked, earning himself a sharp glare from the other. 

Sofia may not have been too observant recently, but McCree was constantly keeping up with the latest — especially when it came to his friends and their business. Ever since it had been pointed out on the night they’d all been for dinner, the man had begun to notice Romy’s eating patterns were gradually worsening over time. It astonished him how she’d been able to keep on training so much when, by now, her stomach must have been next to empty for days.

“I keep telling her to eat more,” Genji added as he ate his own breakfast, not bothering to look at anyone as he did so. It didn’t occur to him to mention how stubborn Romy could be, and how she absolutely had not listened to him -- everybody at the table was already aware. However, the more they trained together, the more the man had noticed her movements were sloppier and her reaction time slower. It was making her weak, and it wouldn’t be long before he’d refuse to spar with her anymore.

“I won’t apologise for not being hungry,” the redhead shrugged, folding her arms over her chest defensively. “Get off my ass about it.”

“How long have you not been hungry?” McCree questioned, leaning forward to rest his chin on his fist. “Since you got that shot?”

Romy had noticed the change within herself, and maybe, possibly she _had_ already connected it to the stabilizer that Dr. Ziegler had given her… In all honesty, she’d chosen to ignore it. Since the prototype injection had started to work its magic, Romy had become addicted to the way it made her feel: nothing. Her emotion had seemingly abandoned her and she found it so much easier to exist without having to revisit her pain every day or fear losing control of herself. The appetite loss didn’t bother her, but even she knew it had gotten worse.

“That’s what I thought,” Jesse hummed, his eyebrows knitting together. “You need to go see Angela, Rome. A-SAP.”

“Wait, you got shot?” Sofia piped up, turning her head to look at Romy with her mouth half full of food. Romy smiled softly and shook her head at her oblivious friend, amused by her obliviousness.

“ _No_ , Sofia. I got _a_ shot, like an injection.” Romy explained, heaving a deep breath. She wasn’t exactly sure why she’d not told anybody (other than Jesse who’d seen it all go down) — maybe she’d convinced herself that it just hadn’t popped up in conversation rather than admitting to herself that it was doing her more harm than good at this point. “It was some kind of experimental suppressant serum…” 

“Yeah, _experimental_ ,” McCree exaggerated, shooting Romy a look which she immediately pulled a face at. “You’re talkin’ to doc about it whether you like it or not. Do I have to babysit you, Rome? Hold your hand? _Walk you there?_ ” 

The girl in question folded her hands over her chest and huffed. The thought of the confrontation and possibly getting taken off the suppressant altogether was making her feel antsy. Sure, there were some unfavourable side effects, but the _desirable_ side of things was that her powers were completely under wraps, and it felt as if her Dad wasn’t controlling her anymore. “I get it, Jesse. Please — just stop talking about it. I’ll go and see her, okay? Happy?”

McCree stuck a thumb up and wiped the corner of his mouth of food. “Peachy.”

Before any other words could be exchanged, Romy had already stood up to leave. With hawk-like eyes, Genji followed her movement before he frowned. Himself and McCree shared a look before the cowboy nodded at him, simply confirming their shared thoughts. _Make sure she follows through_. The cyborg, although a few paces behind, made sure to stay hot on her heels. 

“You really don’t need to follow me, you know,” Romy commented, not having to look over her shoulder to know that her light-footed friend was behind her. 

He smirked underneath his faceguard. “Your awareness is improving.”

“I've always had great awareness, actually,” she argued, as the man behind her caught up and soon walked beside her. "You just never noticed the sheer talent I have," Romy spoke with a level of sarcasm to her tone.

Genji hummed in thought, quietly and to himself. In all honesty, he _did_ know how capable the redhead was… it was just her lack of control and self-destructiveness that let her down. Sometimes he saw much of himself in her.

It took them a few minutes to reach the medical wing, barely speaking any words to each other as they'd made their way. Once they had arrived, it took a few moments to find out exactly where Angela Ziegler was. 

"Romy!" The doctor had called out with a warm smile on her face, as they entered the room. When she noticed Genji was with her, she raised her eyebrows and the smile only got warmer. "And Genji… To what do I owe this pleasure?" The doctor had been in her office, which was usually a rare place to find her. It seemed she wasn't swamped with work for a change.

"Hello, Angela," the man spoke, and Romy had never heard such a polite tone from him. Maybe they were very familiar with each other? "How are you?"

"Fine as ever, you know me," Angela stood from her desk chair and waved a dismissive hand. "Besides that, what brings you both here?"

Romy took a step forward, her arms folded across her chest as she figured out the words in her head. "It's the shot you gave me. It's ruining my appetite. I haven't eaten properly for weeks and it's been getting worse."

"Oh dear," the other woman sighed, pursing her lips together in thought. "And you had those stomach pains not so long ago… maybe this test-run wasn’t as successful as I thought it would be…" The doctor shook her head and shrugged. "Have you experienced any other changes?"

When Romy paused for a few seconds too long, Genji nudged her with his shoulder and gave her a stern look. The man may have been naturally silent and not prone to confrontation — unlike McCree — but he _had_ been spending the last few weeks closely working with Romy, sparring with her pretty much every day. It was easy to notice the change in her, in the way she fought and spoke. It wasn't just her performance that had declined: the redhead had slowly started to lack in her stubborn drive, and the playfulness she'd once had when they challenged each other had been lost. The cyborg realised their sparring had been giving her an adrenaline fix and she was, evidently, addicted to it.

Romy was surprised to see the man beside her urging her to speak up, surprised to see that he actually cared for her to some degree. Raw emotion wasn't something easily found in Genji. 

"I'm not really feeling anything. Well, I don't feel anything at all, actually," she explained. "It's been a relief, but it's… probably not good for me in the long run."

The blonde woman didn't need further explanation to understand what Romy implicated.

"It is indeed easy to become addicted to the feeling of not feeling at all," the doctor spoke, with a soft, understanding expression across her face. "I've seen it before in others… But running from our problems does not rid us of them. Creating distractions for our fears only makes them hurt more when we're forced to face them eventually."

The way Dr. Ziegler spoke so truthfully and from the heart reminded Romy of her own mother. It created a new level of respect for the doctor within her. And, if she hadn't felt so void of emotion, she may have felt a pang of sadness at the memory of the good side of her family.

"We can flush it out of your system. If all goes well, you should be back to normal within a few hours," Angela explained, moving forward to place a comforting hand on Romy's shoulder. "They _were_ still stabilizing your mood, even if it was too much. Be prepared for the worst when you revert back, just in case."

Romy nodded. After all, she'd never tried to contain her mood swings or stabilize her power before. Her father had always wanted outrageous and terrifying, so she'd never been aided with learning to control what wrecked her from within. There was every chance that her body would react badly to the flush.

"Okay. Let's get started then," Angela breathed out, a positive edge to her tone and a confident smile stretching to each cheek. "This way."

* * *

**Later That Evening**

After the procedure finished, Romy had been discharged from Angela’s care with yet _another_ warning to rest properly, the blonde woman’s stern words still replaying in the back of her head. The doctor had kickstarted the flushing process with another injection, one that would run through her bloodstream and rid of any excess chemicals from the stabilizer. It was a debilitating process that had left Romy’s body _and_ mind exhausted, with a high internal temperature that the redhead could actually feel for once.

Genji had not stuck around for the process as he didn’t want the girl to feel as if he were supervising her. The man also knew it was not really his business, and though he cared for his friend, he decided to leave and get on with more important matters. Romy would have appreciated his presence more if she hadn’t believed that McCree put the cyborg up to the task of making sure she actually sought out help.

Romy was holed up in her room with a plate of food that Sofia and McCree had given to her as a way to ensure that she got all the food and rest she needed, as ordered by Dr. Zeigler. The girl had curled up on the cushion that spread across the base of her entire bay window, her back against the wall that framed it. She munched on her third slice of pizza while the cool wind that breezed through struggled to reduce her fever. Having to balance a sudden, ravenous hunger with such a high temperature was a pain indeed.

There was a soft knock at the door that Romy barely managed to hear. “Yeah?” She called out, inviting whoever it was inside. She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth, hiding the traces of pizza sauce from around her lips. 

The door creaked open slowly and a visor-bearing Genji peered his head through the door before stepping inside. He was clad in his usual black zip-up hoodie and black sweatpants, which his hands were stuffed into. 

“Genji,” Romy spoke, her tone sounding almost confused. “What’s up?”

The man hadn’t expected her to be sitting at the opposite end of the room, originally planning to just check up on the girl and not stay long. Entering the room wasn’t something he’d imagined doing. “I just wanted to see how you are,” he answered sincerely. “I didn’t know what Angela had in store for you, but I thought it might be rough. It would be rude of me to not make sure my friend is well, after all…” 

Romy processed the words, a small smile of amusement appearing across her lips. “I guess this makes up for you not checking up on me the first time I was hospitalised.” It was an attempt at sarcasm, but her low energy levels had disrupted the tone and made her seem more serious than she was.

The man closed the door behind him, feeling comfortable enough to step closer and engage in the conversation. His smile was hidden behind the guard on his face, but it was there nonetheless. “Sorry, there are no flowers this time…”

Romy’s pizza slice was halfway towards her mouth when he spoke, but the words stopped her movement altogether. She’d been so busy and so caught up since she’d last been in the medical room to even _think_ about who had left her the white lilies, but now it all made sense. Her eyes flicked over to meet his as she placed it back down onto the plate. “So it was _you_ ,” she gathered. “...Why?”

“ _Omotenashi_ ,” Genji answered with a small shrug, certain that the girl would understand the reference to Japanese hospitality. “I thought you might appreciate the gesture.”

Romy cringed ever so slightly at the use of her dad’s native tongue. It wasn’t often that she spoke Japanese, but she was as fluent in it as her French and English. When she looked back at it, the flowers _were_ odd, but knowing that it wasn’t a secret admirer and just a friend being kind changed her opinion. Maybe Genji wasn’t so strange after all — or maybe this made him even _stranger_.

“Well thank you for them, even if it’s late,” Romy chuckled, relaxing a little against the wall behind her. Unsure as to why, the redhead felt the need to motion towards the seat across from her. The company would be nice. “Sit if you want.”

With soft footsteps, Genji met her at the window-side, sitting himself down cross-legged opposite her and resting his head against the wall. His eyes were immediately drawn to the view outside, the setting sun lining the sky in a vibrant amber colour. There were hills and scattered buildings on the distant horizon that made the scenery all the more stunning. Both Genji and Romy didn’t often take time to sit and relax in such a way.

“It’s a shame you refuse to speak Japanese because of your father,” Genji suddenly brought up, his eyes darting from the view to meet hers. She felt a little sting in her stomach because really he’d hit it right on the head. He was far better at analyzing and reading people than she’d credited him for. 

Romy put down her half-bitten slice of pizza, the taste turning to nothingness on her suddenly dry tongue. “I prefer not to associate myself with him. Almost everything is a reminder these days,” she sighed, brushing her hands together as she broke the eye contact to instead stare at the wall. “Similarly, it’s a shame that you always wear that faceguard. Doesn’t it get hot in there?”

Genji stifled a laugh, shaking his head playfully. “Perhaps I _need_ to wear it.”

“Not all the time, though,” Romy countered, thinking back to the times where he’d removed it in front of her. She couldn’t deny the fact that she preferred him without it… sometimes she felt it hard to connect with someone when you couldn’t see their face. Genji stared at her intensely for a moment, as if frozen in thought. For a brief moment, he closed his eyes and reached a hand to the air-lock buttons on either side of his mask. It gently released it from its position and he placed it carefully in front of himself. 

“Better?”

Romy couldn’t help but examine his scarred face for a few moments before she turned her attention to the view outside once again. Even though the man’s face was covered in wounds, the girl saw a story behind them and found that it didn’t bother her -- and he was actually rather attractive. There was a tender smile on her face. “I definitely prefer how you look without it.”

Genji almost took the words the wrong way but stayed level-headed. “Why? Because I look more human now?”

“No…” Romy hummed out, looking over at him once again to make eye contact. “That’s not it… I don’t know, really. It’s just nice to see your whole face for a change. It’s hard to tell someone’s expression when you can only see their eyes.”

The other nodded in understanding. “I sense that you and I are alike.”

Romy’s faint smile became a smirk then, and she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at him. “Well, we _are_ both sickeningly competitive.”

Genji smiled in response and Romy found it refreshing being able to actually see it. _So that’s what it looks like._ “I suppose that’s correct,” he agreed. “But, more importantly… how _are_ you feeling?”

Romy sighed and the smirk soon faded. “I’m… fine, really. Just a little worn out -- well, _very_ worn out. And right now I feel like I’m boiling from the inside. My fever’s crazy, so I’m…” She gestured to the open window and gave Genji a helpless look. “...trying my best to stay cool. And, up until you mentioned my father, I had a crazy appetite… So thanks for that.”

The man across from her laughed softly, and Romy had never heard anything quite like it from him. It was almost endearing to watch and she couldn’t help but be amused by it. “I think you’ve had enough, don’t you? I hope this isn’t going to become a regular diet for you. I don’t think you’d stand a chance against me in a fight ever again.”

When she saw the man eyeing her leftover pizza crusts on her plate, Romy shifted her leg to kick him gently. “ _Ferme ta gueule_ ,” she laughed the French words out, telling him to shut his mouth.

“ _Wakarimasen_ ,” the man shot back in Japanese. “ _Gomen nasai_.”

Romy rolled her eyes. “ _Shitte iru_.”

Genji was surprised at Romy’s Japanese, and he found himself chuckling at what she’d said to him as his gaze shifted down to his legs. And as his laughter died down, he shook his head and exhaled deeply. 

A comfortable silence fell, and the redhead was soon staring out of the window once again. They stayed like this for a few moments, both sitting peacefully and enjoying each other's speechless company. It wasn't long before Genji's brain shifted into gear, though, and he was feeling the urge to leave.

"Alright," he muttered, turning so his legs were over the edge of the seat and standing. "I have some things to take care of. I should go."

"Okay," Romy answered, turning to look at the other as he clicked his mask back into place. 

"Okay," he repeated, unsure of what else to say to her. It was unlike him to speak when unnecessary. Small talk was definitely not usually found in his behaviour.

"Thanks for checking up on me."

"Of course."

Romy had watched as the man turned on his heel and made his way out of her room. Her eyes hadn't left his direction until the door clicked shut, and even after that, they lingered on the space that he once occupied. 

It was a shame — she'd kind of wanted him to stick around a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who's ur favourite OC so far :)
> 
> \- kat


	13. Nostalgic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all how about you let us know how u feel about the fic so far in the comments ;)
> 
> -kat

**Overwatch Headquarters  
** **Training Centre  
** **9:41AM**

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

“What, you underestimate me?” Sofia questioned, raising her fists into a poised stance. She was aware that in this situation that her opponent most likely had the upper hand, but practicing against a faced-past lethal fighter could help her ready herself if the scenario ever arose in an actual combat situation. She was more of a powerhouse fighter and could use some work on her speed of delivery.

Genji couldn’t help but laugh. “Perhaps you underestimate  _ me _ .”

Romy observed the fight as it began from a bench off to the side. The other three had reacted poorly to her arrival, but she reassured them she was just there to observe, not to get her hands dirty. This time she seemed to be taking the orders from Dr. Ziegler a little bit more seriously when it came to resting, or it could be the fact that the whole process left her feeling utterly exhausted.

“Why the long face?” McCree butted in, knocking her on the shoulder, making Romy look up from her gloomy, slouched position. 

“I’m done with resting already,” she complained with a sigh, watching as Sofia started off with the upper hand against Genji as he continued to back up against her swings and kicks. She raised her voice over the impact grunts and thuds that the sparring two made. “I’d rather be doing something instead of feeling sorry for myself.”

“Heh. Doctors orders ‘n’ all that,” McCree answered, flinching in reaction to a blow Sofia took to the ribs from Genji’s leg. “That’s gotta hurt.”

Romy rested her chin on her fists, observing the fight as it began to visibly shift into Genji’s favour, her friend beginning to lose her fast-burning stamina. She watched Genji’s movements with careful eyes, finding something captivating about how he handled himself in a fight. Romy wasn’t used to being the one spectating, after all.

The sparring session between the two didn’t last for very long and it quickly became clear who was the victor. When Sofia was tapping out, caught in an inescapable lock of the man’s arms, the two watching from the sidelines knew it was over. 

“Boooo!” McCree called out, watching the girl as she dropped herself onto the vinyl mat beneath her, spread like a starfish as she panted for air.

Sofia caught her breath and huffed out a laugh. “We are  _ never _ doing that again.”

Genji stepped over to his opponent and offered out a hand to her. “You are good, but I don’t think I’m the opponent you’re looking for.” He had gathered that their fighting styles were completely opposite and, having sparred with Romy so often recently, realised it was a whole other story when fighting Sofia. He wouldn’t argue that she was strong and capable, they were just on very different ends of the spectrum of fighting styles.

Sofia took the hand outstretched to her and made a noise of disappointment when she was pulled to her feet. “I suppose you’re right,” she shrugged, turning to look over at her friends sitting across the room. “It’s a shame your usual  _ partner _ is too busy resting to give you a challenge.” 

The tone of her voice was questionable to Genji, and he found himself looking for an explanation within her expression. Sofia simply turned her head to glance at him, a small smirk on her face as she walked away towards the others.

McCree handed Sofia a freshly chilled bottle of water when she returned, playfully scuffing her hair to which she glared at him, not appreciating his childishness. It was a habit he’d picked up recently, usually to make fun of the fact that she stood at the proud height of five foot three.

“Better luck next time.” He teased.

Sofia pulled a face at him, unscrewing the bottle lid. “You know I never stood a chance.” She shot back, taking a long drink.

“We know,” Romy chuckled, relaxing back into her chair as she folded her arms. “It was fun to watch, at least.”

Before they could enjoy another moment, the doors were blasted open, drawing their immediate attention. Gabe walked through, his facial expression a little softer than usual as he clutched a tablet in his hand and made his way over to them.

“Good news,” he began, his tone cheerier than usual. Exchanging a look of questioning between themselves, they all proceeded to gather around as he pulled up the tablet and began tapping commands onto it. “We think we know where our boys are hiding.”

He flicked the image on the screen so that it displayed as a holovid in front of them all, displaying a hot spot of activity in Los Angeles. “I know it’s been a while since we’ve had any activity, but you’ll be happy to know that we’ve got some shit to deal with now.”

Before the man could get into their brief, Romy spoke her mind. “Oh, so we’re not being kicked off the team now? Last time I checked, you seemed to hate the idea of Sofia and I being a part of Blackwatch.”

Gabriel stared at her with a flat face. “You are the worst agent to deal with and I recruited McCree when he was seventeen,” he retorted as a small smirk grew on his face, showing that he didn’t seem as phased by her words as he would’ve been a month ago, in fact his response came off in a joking manner. He shook his head and turned to continue. “You’re lucky he was able to cover it up as a guard attack.”

Sofia felt a little sheepish from his comment, but she  _ did _ agree that she was extremely lucky that Jesse’s mind was sharp enough to cover it up and get her out. On the news it had appeared that an enraged guard was the reason for his demise, and more filth from the business began kicking up to the point that some people didn’t even feel bad for Fabien’s demise. She wasn’t even sure if she felt guilty anymore.

“Regardless… I have faith in us,” Gabriel continued, eyeing the holovid as multiple suspects and targets began flying past. “But they do know we’re out here, and this time I’m sure they’ll be extra vigilant, so this could get tricky.”

“When do we leave?” Romy pressed, anxious that she wouldn’t recover in time for the mission, and that she’d either be left behind or a liability. Gabe gave her an understanding look.

“Don’t worry, Soldier — we leave in one week. Angela told me you’d be good after a few days.”

Surprised by his kind tone, she nodded and withdrew herself from making another snarky remark. 

“So, why the US?” McCree asked, his face full of thought as he leaned back in his chair.

“Those men from our first mission — the ones Genji and I overheard in the control room, they were American,” Sofia pieced together as she glanced over at her previous sparring partner. Genji nodded in agreement.

“Well, exactly,” Reyes acknowledged, pointing to Sofia to indicate what she said was spot on. “We looked into it. Well, the rest of the Overwatch team did. ‘S’why we’ve been waiting around for so damn long. They found a connection between the attacks that were happening here and recent attacks that have been happening around the States’ west coast, mostly California.” Gabriel then turned his attention to McCree. “Looks like we’re going back home for a while, Cowboy. Lucky for you, it won’t be the South.”

“Well,” McCree sighed, although he seemed entertained by the idea. There were most certainly a few outlaws who wanted to take him down, serve his head on a plate. Not that he’d ever let that happen, of course. “At least we’ll be able to eat some proper food again.”

“They are the men who work for my father, presumably?” Romy questioned, resisting the urge to comment on Jesse’s lack of taste in food. The look on her face was stern, and the displeasure in mentioning her family member was obvious. 

It had crossed Romy’s mind a few times whether Overwatch thought she really was working undercover for her father, but she had faith in her commanders and trusted they knew the intensity of her hate towards the evil man. And though she wanted to take him down more than anyone else in the room, it still instilled a nervousness within her whilst she questioned just when the day would come.

“We think so,” Gabriel shrugged. “We’ve got no other leads at the moment. This is going to be the only direction we can go in. We’ve managed to make things a little more peaceful here, since your first assignment’s success, but we must go where the most chaos is unfolding. And right now, that’s in California.”

The redhead nodded in response, and Reyes could sense the cooperation and acknowledgment from her comrades too. 

“It’s about time we had a change of scenery,” Gabriel added. “Though I will warn you. Be prepared for the worst. The United States has seen more terror than any other country recently. It’s messy, crime-ridden and ten times more brutal in the streets. We could be stationed there for months… I’ll, of course, let you know when I have further updates. But for now, say your goodbyes to Switzerland.”

Later that night, Sofia was sitting in the communal living area by herself as the base sat quietly with sleep. She was mindlessly watching the news in the dark, flashes of white and blue light flickering around the room as she lay her chin on her knees with her hair loose from her trademark braid, laying thick and wavy around her shoulders. Images on the holoscreen flashed again to Fabien, almost as if the media couldn’t get enough of the brutal “scandal”. She couldn’t deny that she was worried about how the mission in America would turn out, but she knew she didn’t want a repeat of last time. 

“What’re you doing up so late?”

Sofia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, glancing over her shoulder at Romy who held a glass of water in her hand, clad in her sleepwear. She looked more slender than usual, probably from the suppression medication that was screwing around with her appetite. Sofia, on the other hand, had filled out nicely over the past few weeks from indulging herself on the food.

“I could say the same to you,” Sofia commented, offering her friend a tired smile as she joined her on the other end of the plush sofa. “I couldn’t sleep.” She finished, following it with a shrug to show she didn’t have any explanation for it.

“Me, too,” Romy sighed, playing with the frayed hem of her soft shorts before taking a sip of water. She was still running a low-grade fever, feeling some sort of side effect — maybe withdrawal. “I’ve felt like shit since I got taken off that injection.”

She wasn’t lying when she said that. It genuinely felt like her body was rejecting the absence of the drug. Dr. Ziegler had mentioned that she should recover within a few hours of the flush, yet she still felt uneasy after more than a full day since.

“McCree told me that Genji visited you,” Sofia commented absentmindedly. She wasn’t trying to make a point of it — Jesse had just been constantly bringing it up to her about how close Romy and Genji were. Considering Jesse had known Genji the longest, he figured it was strange behaviour for him as he’d mostly been reserved over the years. “What did he have to say for himself?”

Romy took a sip of water, staring off at nothing in particular. “He just asked me if I was feeling okay.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Sofia replied, nodding as she thought back to the conversation she shared with McCree that one breakfast. “Jesse seems to think you two are sleeping together…” A small laugh escaped from her after she spoke, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her cowboy friend. 

Romy’s head snapped to the side, eyeing Sofia with a scrunched up face as she choked on the water that had remained in her mouth. “Excuse me?” 

This reaction made Sofia laugh more, confirming within herself her original thoughts on the situation. The girl had known her friends weren’t sleeping together — that McCree was forming conspiracies to entertain himself and piss Romy off when she found out. 

“I know,” Sofia shook her head, tickled by Romy’s reaction. “I think he’s just trying to put ideas into my head at your expense.”

“I will kill him,” Romy deadpanned, shaking her head as her facial expression softened. “For the record, I  _ train _ with Genji. I don’t fuck him.”

The vulgar language almost made the Mexican girl laugh again. Romy wasn’t usually one to hold back how she felt, after all. “Well, I didn’t really think you were. But the jokes were fun.”

The redhead narrowed her eyes playfully at her friend. “Hm… Laughing at other people’s expense. I see how it is, Sofia.” Romy was completely sarcastic, however. It didn’t bother her that the girl found McCree’s rumors funny. She was still going to kill him, though. “I’ll forgive you — this time.”

The short conversation that took place made Sofia realise just how tired she was. She hadn’t been sleeping great since the Paris mission, and exhaustion typically hit her like a truck when she got a sliver of a distraction. 

“Don’t stay up too late,” Sofia said, standing to her feet and handing the holovid remote to her friend, who appeared to be wide-awake. “I’ll see you in the morning — okay?”

Romy nodded stiffly, pressing her lips together as she accepted the device. She’d almost hoped her friend would stay up a little bit longer as she was appreciating the female company. Although she loved both Jesse and Genji as friends, sometimes the testosterone was a little overwhelming. She knew McCree through and through — she’d known him back when he was seventeen and little had changed over the years other than his height. Genji, on the other hand, was a little more unpredictable and hard to read. And Sofia… well, their friendship just worked so  _ smoothly _ , probably due to the fact that they’d first met on common ground: joining Overwatch. 

Romy was up until the early hours of the morning, feeling drained and tired but not in the headspace to sleep. She had so many things stuck on her mind preventing her from being relaxed, the stress that her body had been put under in just the space of a month causing old memories to resurface and flit through her head. The one thing she couldn’t shake was  _ Ken _ .

Ken was her brother, her twin brother. When it came to her fire manipulation capabilities and their instability, it heavily reminded her of him — of when they were younger, being pitted against each other in continuous battles as their father tirelessly tried to prove who the strongest one was. It was her, it was  _ always _ her, but it was hard for her not to question after so many years…  _ Was he okay?  _ Leaving her father was the best decision she ever made, but she couldn’t shake the guilt that followed when she wondered what was happening to her brother he'd become the sole child of her psychotic life-giver. 

All those years ago, she had left her family behind in a heartbeat. There had never really been time for her to fully come to the decision. Every moment that she lived with their absence she was haunted by her memories, and knowing who her father really was. But sometimes, the guilt of leaving her brother and mother behind with that kind of evil troubled her worse.

Now that she was part of Overwatch, and the group was coordinating an attack on her father's business and livelihood -- maybe, just maybe, she'd have the opportunity to pull her beloved family members out of his vicious hands.

Romy would get them out, even if it killed her doing so.


	14. Never Have I Ever

**Los Angeles Airport  
** **6:32AM**

“Now, we believe we’re looking for _this_ symbol,” Gabe explained, showing a holopicture of what appeared to be a G shaped into a dagger — Gasai Tech Logo. “Genji pointed out to me that he noticed it on the uniform of the human recruits, and there’s a good chance they’ll be wearing it again.”

Romy didn't bother to mention that she already knew what her father's company's logo looked like, and that she could have drawn it out for them. It would have been pointless to say at that point.

“We're looking for any leads possible, any _thread_ of a clue you find that could lead us somewhere useful is vital,” their commander continued. “Myself and your other commanders will be stationed in Overwatch's Anaheim HQ, but you guys will be in central LA, keeping a close eye on the 'hot zone' — as we like to call it.”

“You're not coming with us?” Asked McCree, shifting slightly in his stationary position. When he received a quiet shake of the head in response, he pressed on. “Who's leading us, then?”

“I'll still be contacting you daily to gather any info and deliver messages directly from HQ, but I'll be leaving you in charge while I'm out of action, Jesse,” Reyes instructed, folding his arms over his chest. “Which means if shit goes bad, it’s on you.”

“Roger that,” Jesse answered, appreciating the role of responsibility. Back in the day, he was the co-founder of Deadlock and he enjoyed the position — he prided himself in being a great leader and knew he’d get the job done. “So, where are we stayin’ at?”

“A pretty luxurious complex — Overwatch has rented it out for the month,” Gabe grinned, fishing out credit and ID cards and handing it to all four of them. “There’s a limited allowance on these, but God knows you’ll need ‘em. There’s a cab waiting for you out front.”

“Why’d you gotta go, Commander?” Jesse inquired. “What, you can’t just hang around for a few days? You wanna get rid of us that bad?”

Reyes laughed and clapped a hand on McCree’s shoulder. “Duty calls. I gotta do all the boring paperwork whilst you go out and enjoy yourself gettin’ your hands dirty,” he shot back, “but maybe I could stick around for a few hours, _just_ to keep an eye on you.”

McCree grinned. It was this exchange that shone the light on their relationship, a side to their commander that neither Romy or Sofia had ever seen. Typically, he came across grumpy and reserved, but the friendship he shared with their cowboy friend made him appear much softer than they were used to. It appeared to be a father-son dynamic, only with more friendship and professionalism.

Gabriel took them out to the front of the airport where they caught their sleek, black, window-tinted car. From a glance, Romy could tell it was bulletproof. It might’ve been a little overkill for such a short journey, but they knew Overwatch couldn’t take any chances. _Especially_ when they were dealing with the likes of her father.

They arrived at their remote location, which was a multi-story apartment complex that sat just on the border of the city. Stepping out of the transportation, each and every member of Blackwatch found themselves staring straight up at their towering new home. Even Romy would admit that it looked fancy — and she’d been to some boujee places around the US.

“Jesus,” Sofia commented, shielding her eyes from the sun to stare up at the complex. “Well, just when I thought I’d seen it all. It keeps getting richer.”

“Wait until you see Vegas,” Romy smirked, folding her arms as she analysed the building. In her youth she might have been satisfied, but now it seemed too extra. Surviving and getting by was all that meant anything to her nowadays… materialism was so frivolous.

The next few moments were boring and felt a little dragged out for everyone, getting through all the formalities and becoming accustomed to the inside of the building. They gathered the necessities, which was basically just a keycard for all four of the agents to access their apartment, and trudged on — albeit jet-lagged — towards the elevator that would take them to their floor.

McCree was immediately drawn to the bar that sat in the massive living space, eyeing the complimentary bottles of bourbon and whiskey with glee. He grabbed one by the neck in his fist, showing it to Gabe.

Reyes rolled his eyes. “It’s not even noon, Jesse.”

“It is somewhere…” McCree shrugged, sliding the bottle back into its place, eyeing it as if he were savouring their last moments together. 

Still standing by the door, Romy turned to her friend and motioned with her head in the direction behind her, towards the hallway. “Come on, Sofi,” she sighed, shaking her head at the sight of McCree and his day-drinking excuses. “Let’s go pick our room. And _leave_ the _men_ to their… priorities.”

As the redhead moved towards the hallway, with a chuckling Sofia following close behind, she stepped past the deadly-silent Genji, who’s presence had barely gone noticed as per usual. For a brief moment, they held eye contact and she barely made out the bemused look his masked face held. It would seem that she’d improved on figuring out his expressions — even if they _were_ hidden behind the face-guard — by the shape of his eyes, his eyebrows and the small wrinkles in his face. Romy had given him a small, fraction of a smirk as she turned off to explore the hallway.

The girls had picked the room with the best view, of course. Each room was situated on either side of the apartment, one facing the centre of LA where the view of the city was, and the other facing the back end of the complex. 

"Wow," Sofia gaped at the sight before her. Their flat was on one of the higher floors, unfortunately _not_ the penthouse but it still gave them a spectacular field of view from their floor-to-ceiling windows.

Romy dumped her bag down onto the right side of the room's bed. Her luggage had gotten significantly lighter since her arrival in Zürich. She'd found she didn't wear half of the stuff anymore and had tossed what she couldn't give away, out. 

Her friend finally peeled away from the window to claim the leftover bed, a look of thought spreading across her face. 

"I… kind of hope we get the opportunity to do some more _fun_ stuff whilst we're here," she spoke. "I've heard about some of the things the people here get up to. And it's called _Los Angeles_ \-- the _City_ of _Angels_ , who wouldn't want to look around a place with a name like that?"

Hearing the girl's thick accent cracked a smile onto the redhead's face. It was endearing listening to Sofia speak her native language -- Romy almost wished she'd been forced to learn Spanish, not Japanese.

"We'll have time," Romy guaranteed. Since they'd been briefed and told they could be there for a few weeks, she had known what was going to be the case. Despite his cruelty, her father was still an immensely clever, cunning man. She wouldn't be surprised if he knew Overwatch was on his tail, and if he had something up his sleeve for them. "I think we're going to be here for a long while…"

"It's probably too risky to go out and have a good time…"

"It's risky being part of this organisation, period," Romy sighed out. "We rode here in a bulletproof car, Sofi…" Sometimes the half-Japanese girl blamed herself, knowing in her gut that her father was probably on their case already and that was going to put her friends at risk. The others didn't understand just how dangerous Saburo Gasai could be…

"It wouldn't be the first time we've both been wanted dead," the Latina shrugged, falling back onto her bed with a soft thud. The newfound level of confidence in Sofia gave her more courage and remembering who she was and how dangerous she could be only strengthened her. "Only this time, we've got better cover if things go wrong."

"You make a good point," the other girl agreed, sincerely. Thinking about it, they _were_ surrounded by capable people who could back them up in an ambush -- something Romy was paranoid about quite often. If worse came to worse, she wouldn't mind being in a fight with Genji's swiftness, Sofia's dexterity and McCree's aim on her side. "We'll definitely go out at some point, even if the boys don't want to come."

* * *

**That Evening**

“I think this is my new favourite food,” Sofia proclaimed, a slice of half-eaten pepperoni pizza in her hand as she stared at it in awe. There were a handful of large pizza boxes scattered on the sleek, glass coffee table in the living area. McCree grinned and handed her a bottle of fruity cider, which she gratefully accepted. Throughout the group's overwhelming lifestyle, the little things like Romy’s attitude and Sofia’s innocence were small little drops of reality that brought them back down, remembering that at their core they were all really people, not just soldiers. “Hmm… but nothing beats chocolate pudding yet.”

“You’ve seriously never tried pizza before?” Gabe almost scoffed, his mouth half-full of fries. He leaned lazily back on the love sofa, his boots kicked up to rest on a plush cushion as he lazily sipped from a can of beer. 

Sofia shrugged. “I was practically homeless, Gabe.”

Romy burst out laughing at her bluntness, something that Sofia had picked up alongside the strike of confidence she was feeling lately. Before she joined Blackwatch, she most likely wouldn’t have said a word in response following her shrug, but she knew the boundaries she could push with Gabe now, and she _pushed_. 

“We couldn’t be more different, Sofi,” Romy sighed whimsically, shouldering the girl in a friendly manner. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Maybe that’s why you’re both such a pain in the ass.”

Knowing he was just teasing, they both laughed in response. There was a certain _warmth_ that radiated from Gabe nowadays… ever since he’d received a telling-off from his superiors, Ana and Jack, his attitude had appeared to do a complete turn-around, as if a light had switched on inside of him. He was so reluctant to even talk to them in the first place, but they were all starting to grow on him now and he’d really taken them under his wing. 

McCree proceeded to offer Genji a bottle, who politely declined. 

“I’m going to get something… more my taste,” Genji said, clearing his throat. He visibly hesitated, glancing at Romy. “Would you like one?” He questioned, noticing that she’d also declined Jesse’s drink of choice. She shrugged, following him towards the kitchen and bar area, where she watched him shuffle around searching for beverages.

“I thought you didn’t drink?” Romy commented thoughtfully, hiking herself up to sit on the marble countertop of the island feature in the kitchen. 

“Maybe I can make one exception,” he answered straightforwardly, pulling a bottle of carbonated ginger ale from the fridge, a neck of whiskey from the bar, and lemon from the fruit basket. “Do you care for a whiskey Highball?”

“It’s much better than that crap they’re drinking out there,” Romy responded. She’d left a lot of her materialistic mindset behind, but was a true believer that you couldn’t half-arse alcohol. She liked her poison _expensive_. “Serve me a double, Mr. Bartender.”

Genji shook his head playfully, grabbing two small, crystalised glasses and serving up two double-shot Highballs, three cubes of ice in each. Romy watched him closely as he carefully and tentatively sliced the lemon with a small kitchen knife, before dashing them both into the shot glasses before they shared a cheers amongst themselves and necked their first sip of the drink. 

Romy winced against the burn of whiskey but masked it smoothly. She’d learned to drink it from her time in Deadlock, but it’d been a long time since she’d had any and she’d forgotten the shocking smokey sensation. Genji, on the other hand, showed no response as he swirled the amber liquid around in his glass. 

“You took it well for somebody who doesn’t drink,” Romy said, placing the glass on the side to take a short break, resting her hands in her lap. He simply nodded in response, finishing it in a swift gulp. “Go easy, cyborg — when’s the last time you had something to drink?”

“Hmm… maybe too long,” he responded, clearing his throat. “Since my body… _changed_ , I’ve refrained from drinking. It’s not good for the psyche.” He nodded, resting against the countertop directly opposite Romy. She immediately knew he was referencing his cybernetic enhancements, and she almost felt guilty for the teasing nickname she used only moments ago. 

She quickly finished her drink. “How come you ‘changed’, then? If that’s okay to ask?”

Genji paused as if wondering whether he wanted to tell her or not. It was clearly a sensitive subject, she noticed by how he looked toward the ground. “My brother… he tried to kill me. He thought he succeeded, but Angela saved my life.”

“Oh,” Romy responded, swallowing for a brief moment. “I’m sorry that happened.”

“It is the Shimada curse.”

Her brows creased knowingly, recognising the name. “Wait, _Shimada_?” The pieces started to slowly click in her head and she hopped down from the counter and onto her feet. “As in, the Shimada Clan?”

He nodded. “That’s right.”

“Huh,” Romy breathed, bemused by how small a world it was when the man she was in a covert military operation with was formerly in a rival war gang of her father’s. “My brother tried to kill me a few times too.”

Genji couldn’t help but crack a smile at that but didn’t say another word. Romy followed it with a warm, comforting smile, understanding that she’d pulled a few of his unwanted memories to the surface. Maybe he was battling more demons than she’d ever assumed. 

“Well, if it's worth anything… I’m glad he didn’t succeed,” Romy told him before quickly sweeping up her glass and gesturing towards the ingredients, avoiding the awkward silence she presumed would occur after her once in a blue moon friendly comment. “You want another?”

“I wonder what’s takin’ them so long,” McCree mused, collapsed on the sofa from the food-bloat after his pizza binge. “Some drink! Get on in here.” Jesse called out, to which Romy and Genji emerged, unamused by his comment, joining them by collapsing on the empty seats. 

“Right… I’ll be headin’ off,” Gabe said, slapping his hands to his thighs before standing upright, knowing that he really had to get back to the Headquarters before he ended up in trouble again. “Don’t have too much fun, kids.”

McCree covered his mouth to hide it from Gabe as he glanced over at Sofia. “Morrison’s gonna slap him on the wrist when he gets back,” he mumbled, just loud enough for his commander to hear it. 

Sofia looked over to Gabriel after that, barely concealing the amused look on her face. It was hard to tell whether the comment had actually bothered him or not, as he appeared indifferent. 

“Well, you’re probably right,” the man stood by the door shrugged, rolling his eyes as he did so. “You know anything stupid that happens, I’ll get it in the ass for… History _will_ repeat itself. Anyway, I gotta head out. You all know how to get a hold of me if you need me.”

“Roger,” Jesse responded, and the others in the room all nodded too. “Later, Gabe.”

“Night all.” And with a small wave, the door was soon closing shut behind him.

“Now that he’s gone, why don’t we do somethin’ fun?” McCree proposed, watching as Romy fiddled with the stereo in the corner of the room before turning towards him.

“I never trust your ideas, Jesse. Define ‘fun’,” she said in an almost accusatory tone, folding her arms jokingly. 

“I dunno… some drinkin’ games,” he offered, to which everybody immediately groaned and rolled their eyes. “What?! It’s our first night here and probably our first night off in a long time. I thought it coulda been fun.”

“You don’t have to drink to have fun,” Sofia argued teasingly, appreciating him trying to do something with the group rather than just lounging around. From those words alone the others appeared to agree that they deserved just a bit of fun. “But what do you have in mind, cowboy?”

“Have y’all ever heard of never have I ever?” McCree suggested, glancing around at his comrades.

“Do we live under a rock?” Romy asked as both Sofia and Genji answered ‘no’ simultaneously. “...Nevermind. Explain, Jesse.”

He proceeded to explain the basis of the rules, only how this time you’d have to take a shot alongside every time you had to put a finger down to the “never have I ever” that you lost to. Vodka and whiskey were provided, alongside small shot glasses that Genji fished out from the back of one of the kitchen cupboards.

“Okay, I’ll go first,” Romy said confidently, adjusting herself on the sofa as she held up five fingers. “Um… never have I ever slept with my best friend.” Her eyes were locked on McCree as she knew she’d catch him out with this one. With her five fingers still intact, she watched as the cowboy was the only one to put a finger down with a proud smirk on her face.

“Y’know what? This is cheating,” Jesse groaned, reaching over to pour a shot of whiskey for himself. “Miss Gasai, you know too much.”

“More like I _heard_ too much.”

“Movin’ on…” McCree continued, staring up at the ceiling as he thought for a moment. “Never have I ever… slept with someone’s best friend.”

“Okay—” Romy said loudly, sounding defeated and shaking her head as she reached for her pre-poured shot.

Sofia perked her brow, confused as to what they were referencing as an inside joke between themselves. “You… slept with the same person?” It seemed as if both herself and Genji weren’t quite on the same wavelength as the other two one-upped each other.

“Now _that_ isn’t important,” Romy interrupted, nodding to Genji. “Your turn, Shimada.”

It was a surprise to them all that the Japanese man was even joining in, his entire aura was seemingly different to each and every one of them. He definitely gave off a more relaxed, more comfortable demeanour. Romy reckoned it was the alcohol hitting him after so many years of being sober.

“Never have I ever…” He spoke, blinking slowly and staring into space as he thought. “...been in a relationship.”

McCree and Sofia put a finger each down and took their own shots. Romy seemed proud of herself for having four fingers remain still. 

The cowboy cringed as the alcohol hit the wrong way, screwing his face up with distaste and eyeing Romy suspiciously. “You sure about that one?”

“...Positive,” she deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Next was Sofia’s turn, and it took her a while to think of her question. The other three were asking sexual or romance questions, and she didn’t want to make it weird by not following the same pattern. It dawned on her that she would be the winner if she kept the questions to a similar nature, and her battleplan was complete. “Never have I ever slept with more than two people at the same time.”

Romy and Sofia’s fingers remained the same, as the two men in the room each put a finger down. The two girls were shocked, both their heads whipping towards the cyborg at the same time. 

“Hey, why aren’t you surprised that I have?” McCree grumbled, his eyebrows knitting together in displeasement. “Do I _look_ like a player or somethin’?”

Both the women were still looking in Genji’s direction, completely baffled as they ignored the other’s words. The ninja responded by closing his eyes and smiling behind his mask. “Everyone has a past,” he said with a lack of concern for any opinion, shrugging his shoulders.

“Okay, okay, I’ve got one,” Romy announced, steadily eyeing the others. “Never have I ever _regretted_ sleeping with someone.”

Genji lowered another finger, putting a hand to his face as he did so, quickly collecting his next shot of vodka, before anybody asked him questions, that he knew he wasn’t going to appreciate in the morning. 

“My boy,” McCree laughed, shaking his head as he too followed suit and lowered a finger. “I didn’t realise you were such a ladies man.”

“Yes, I _was_ ,” Genji admitted, rubbing his nose as the alcohol started to shoot straight to his brain, causing him to feel light-headed. He’d already found _another_ thing he regretted — drinking. “In my youth.”

“Looks like you two are on the losing side,” Romy snickered, leaning back onto her arms to stretch out a little.

“Never have I ever,” McCree began, eyes slightly narrowed at his redhead rival. “...gotten _down and dirty_ with someone of the same sex.”

This time, Romy was the only one of the group dropping a finger and tipping another shot back. With her other hand, she stuck her middle finger up at him as she shook her head in disgust at the alcohol burning its way down her throat.

Sofia was watching this whole thing unfold right in front of her, knowing she’d be the one to win with her lack of sexual experience. With the way the whole game was going, the other three were going to send each other to an early, hungover grave. It was a great form of entertainment, at least.

“Never have I ever…”

The game continued on for a while, surprisingly, Sofia had reckoned the others would kill each other off a lot faster. It became more and more of a struggle, as they went around the circle, for everyone to come up with an idea for their turn — their intoxication would not have helped them with this either. Sofia was still on a strong four, and everyone else left with one finger sticking up. 

Somehow they’d all gotten progressively closer, sitting in a tight circle as they continued their drunken antics. Sofia had been the only person to notice this, of course, being the closest one to sober, albeit a little tipsy. 

McCree had grown accustomed to strong alcohol over the years, and therefore he was probably the least messy out of himself, Genji and Romy. The Japanese man was a little more than comfortably drunk, borderline unsettled due to the lack of control he had over his concentration and senses — he was _not_ used to feeling vulnerable. And Romy, well… The redhead’s eyes could barely lock on to anyone in the room anymore and each flick of her vision created a dizzying swirl in her brain. This was why she didn’t do shots.

It was Sofia’s turn to go, and the look on her face was purely wicked. She had waited so patiently for this moment in the game, saving her last answer so she could wipe out the entire group with one phrase.

“Never have I ever…” the girl began, sighing with a feigned obliviousness as she pretended to be thinking hard about what she would say. “Hm… Never have I ever… _had sex_ .” Although it was a very personal thing to admit to everyone, being a ‘virgin’ didn’t bother Sofia in the least. Sex was not important, had _never_ been a primary concern in her life of living in the shadows and fighting for survival. Why the hell would it be? And, so, why the _hell_ would she be bothered?

Sofia could feel all three pairs of her drunken friends’ eyes boring into her, and she _revelled_ in darting her own between them to take in their reactions. “Go on, take your shots. It’s the _rules_.” Her words were followed with a wild laugh, one that was unlike Sofia but suited her so well. And, as her friends took their final blows, she fell onto her back, still cracking up and covering her mouth.

Romy pointed wonkily at her deceitful, yet clever, friend when she sat back upright. “You… — Well played, Sofi. That’s… all I can say.” The slurred words made the Mexican girl grin, and put her hand to her chest as she dipped her head in a mini bow.

Genji shook his head at the display, resting his elbows on the coffee table that sat in front of them all and dropping his head into his hands for support.

“You, ma’am, are a damn trickster,” Jesse chuckled, pulling a cigar and lighter from his pocket, flicking at it a few times at an attempt to ignite his smoke. He grunted when it failed a few more times, an idea popping into his mind as he slipped the metal object back into his other pocket. “Rome, will you do the _thing_ for me?” 

The redhead was barely coherent but still turned her attention to Jesse and his outstretched hand that held out the cigar to her. _Oh._ Even in her inebriated state, Romy’s brain flickered through memories of the Deadlock days — when McCree would take advantage of her ability and use her as his personal pocket lighter. 

In her mellowed out, drowsy state, she was at her most calm. There was likely no risk of being triggered in the situation at all, so a small flame from her hands she’d allow. Just this once. “Mhm, fine,” she spoke slowly, doing her best in the state she was in. As she reached over, she clicked her fingers to light the cigar.

Nothing happened.

The girl furrowed her thick black eyebrows as the confusion mapped her face. 

_Click._

And still, nothing.

“...What the _fuck_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to add... Romy always KNEW Genji's last name (hence her saying it prior to noticing he was in the Shimada clan) but she only just put the pieces together. Just if anyone was wondering <3
> 
> -K


	15. What's The Plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long break! one of us moved house (plus animal crossing exists) and it's been a lil difficult communicating. all is set up now tho and we'll be back in the groove soon! :)  
> thanks for sticking around! <3
> 
> -kat

**Los Angeles  
** **Thursday**

“...What the  _ fuck _ .”

McCree gave her an incredulous expression, not understanding what was going on through his drunken haze. He stared at the blunt end of his cigar, expecting it to light. It took him a moment to put two and two together before he pulled it out from between his lips and frowned in confusion.

“Why ain’t it workin’?” Jesse questioned his voice borderline slurring. Genji glanced over lazily, his eyes half-lidded. He was near blacking out from the amount he’d had to drink, but even in his cloud he was able to understand the situation and held his eyes upon Romy who appeared to sober up exponentially upon realising there was a problem in activating her powers. 

“I… I don’t know,” she began, her words stumbling over each other as she clicked for the  _ third _ time, again to no avail. It was almost like her powers had just  _ gone _ . “This hasn’t happened before.”

Sofia’s expression hardened with concern as she sat herself up straight, seemingly the only one other than Romy who realised the severity of the situation, considering she was the only one  _ not _ actually drunk. “What does this mean?”

Romy shuffled, visibly uncomfortable under the weight of everyone's eyes. “I must just be too drunk.”

The words fell from her mouth easily but they didn’t sound particularly convincing, even to herself. She’d been drunk many times in the past, even black-out drunk, and was still able to use her flashy ‘party trick’. She squeezed her fists together and shook her head. 

“Just forget it,” Romy brushed off, not wanting to display her confusion to a crowd. “It’ll be fine in the morning. I’m just tired.”

Everybody watched her with harrowing eyes as she wandered out of the room, leaving them to be all but three.

“Well…” McCree began, scratching his head. “Maybe it’s time we all hit the hay, huh?” He glanced over at his cyborg friend who was completely slumped and limp against the sofa. “Come on, buddy, get up.”

Genji simply groaned.

Rolling his eyes, Jesse lugged himself to his feet before taking a hold of Genji’s arm and lifting him upright. There was little effort on his behalf and Jesse had to bear most of his weight whilst attempting to drag him upstairs.

“You need a hand?” Sofia asked, laughing at the mess the pair had become. McCree nodded exasperatedly.

“He’s heavier than he looks,” Jesse groaned, feeling a sense of relief as Sofia tucked herself under the cyborg's other arm to help aid him to his bedroom. He was barely holding himself up on his legs, making their job harder. “Steady, steady.”

“I got him,” Sofia responded, helping aid Genji down the hallway into his bedroom. It was already littered with their things, indicating they’d clearly made themselves feel at home. The two of them hauled their blacked-out friend to his bed, tossing him onto it and throwing the duvet over him. “There. That was harder than I thought it would be.”

“Yeah… his enhancements look deceptively light,” McCree agreed, scratching the back of his head as he paused, visibly thinking of something to say. Sofia hesitated to walk out, waiting for his words. “I, uh…”

“You good?” She asked quizzically.

McCree just smiled, his shoulders sagging with a deep breath, appearing defeated. “Uh, yeah. Just… have a good night.”

“Okay,” she mused, heading for the door. Before she closed it behind herself, she peeked at him once more. “See you in the morning.”

He simply tipped his hat and she clicked the door shut. 

When Sofia returned, Romy was already huddled up in her bed, her back turned to the door so that the other girl couldn’t see her face. Sofia couldn’t tell if she was awake or not, but decided it best not to bother her following the sensitive discovery only a few minutes prior. Like already mentioned, she just trusted Romy’s words in that all would be back to normal in the beginning. 

* * *

“Mornin’ sunshine,” McCree teased, lifting a steaming white coffee mug to his lips as Romy walked into the kitchen, being the last to arrive. Jesse was sat on a stool by the island counter, staring up at the holovid that was playing the daily news channel. On his left was Genji, slumped over onto his arms, an untouched cup of caffeine waiting for him to rise. Romy only stuck her finger up at him in response, and he just laughed. “Cheery as ever!”

Sofia was poking at eggs in the frying pan with a spatula, a mixture of smells filling the sizzling air with an aromatic atmosphere that everybody's mouth immediately watered at. Being the sober one void of a crippling hangover, she volunteered to make breakfast, which they all  _ greatly _ appreciated.

As she served up the plates, grinning at the chorus of thanks, she turned to Romy.

“While you were sleeping in, we think we found our next target,” she explained, nodding to Jesse who tapped on the tablet that lay flat on the surface of the counter, his other hand stabbing at fried mushrooms with his fork. He displayed the file they were looking at. 

“He’s young.” Romy noticed immediately, sitting down with her plate heaped of fried food, first going for the scrambled eggs. “What’s his damage?”

“Take a look at this,” Jesse continued, flicking through the files, then zooming in an image where he appeared to be making a transaction with Gasai himself. Romy frowned as her jaw hardening upon seeing her father. It doesn’t matter how many times she saw his face — she was never going to sit comfortably with it. “He’s located here in LA. He’s powerful but naive…”

“Si,” Sofia agreed, sipping from a glass of orange juice. She pointed her fork at his image. “He likes to draw attention to himself. He’s frequently spotted at La Casa Royale — it's a casino in Vegas, and they’re hosting a “Burlesque” event this Saturday, he’s bound to be there.”

“Let me guess — you guys want me to pose as one of the stage girls?” Romy chuckled, looking at her plate. Upon the silence that followed she looked up, half-chew, noticing they were all staring at her  _ hard _ . Even Genji had lifted his head. “You’re joking, right?”

“You can pull off the… the “look”,” Sofia explained, jumping in before the boys gave her a poor reason for why they thought this was a good idea. “Do you think I could get up on stage and dance like that?”

Romy swallowed, her mouth dry. She let her head tick for a moment, analysing what this meant for her. On stage in extravagant clothing, doing a possible  _ strip-tease _ ? Romy knew how the burlesque girls worked, and with her hair she would certainly blend in with the flamboyant wigs and feathery dresses… but she wasn’t sure how it would help them in the operation. 

“What is that even going to achieve?” She asked, still feeling skeptical over the idea.

“He has a reputation for sleeping with the dancers,” Jesse spurted out, to which Romy’s neck almost snapped with the speed that she turned to look at him. “A lot of the ladies slept with him for their five seconds of fame…”

“I’m not prostituting myself, Jesse!” 

Genji rolled his tired eyes. “Don’t listen to him,” he told her, staring directly at her. “We believe that you could easily seduce him, and drug him. We can bring him back here discreetly and interrogate him. He’s all bark, no bite. He’ll tell us what we need to know."

Romy considered the proposition for a while. Maybe the idea of being in disguise, dancing and seducing stupid men  _ did _ excite her, but she wasn’t going to admit that to her friends. Hell, she knew she was going to look good in her outfit — seducing this man would be a walk in the park. 

“Fine,” she agreed with a sigh, dropping her fork to her plate before picking up a napkin and dabbing her mouth. “Where do we start?”

The day was spent with Jesse organising how the operation would go down, and contacting the headquarters for the green light. They’d have to carefully split their budget on clothes for the evening,  _ especially _ Romy’s outfit, and since McCree agreed to pose as a southern businessman making bets, they’d have to get money for the poker chips. Genji would be put in place as a waiter serving drinks — it would be the easiest and most discreet way for them to drug him with the complimentary champagne. 

“I’ll be out back in the getaway car,” Sofia nodded, thinking back to the black bulletproof car they had locked away in the garage. “We’re gonna have to be fast about it. Do we have zip-ties and a blindfold for the interrogation?”

Everybody stared at her for a moment, a little stunned that she appeared to know what she was doing.

“What?” Sofia asked, glancing around. Everybody shook their heads playfully and returned to the scrawled notes on their laps, though McCree looked at her, his eyes sparkling with his smile.

“I thought I knew you, Sof, but I learn new things about you all the time.” 

She couldn’t help but smile back. “There’s still so much to know, don’t fool yourself.”

“...Interrogation supplies,” Romy sounded out loud, writing down the words into her stack of notes. “Is that everything?”

The group exchanged a look, waiting to see if anybody sported any other ideas. When silence followed, they all nodded in confirmation. Jesse overall felt fairly proud of himself — he’d ran missions before, sure, but this was his first big operation. He was  _ certain _ it’d go off without a hitch, knowing that he trusted his own life with his Blackwatch associates… the fact that Overwatch had given him the green light to go ahead with the mission plan made him feel better about all of it too, knowing that they also had faith in him and his friends. 

“A tux, you think?” Jesse asked, posing in the measurement room of a designer suit shop. His other three friends tilted their heads, analysing his outfit. “Navy? Or burgundy?”

“I’m starting to think you’re just enjoying yourself,” Romy laughed, squinting her eyes at the colour swatches he presented, eagerly flipping the blazer jackets in front of his torso as an unimpressed tailor stood by impatiently. “But… stick with the navy. Classy is best.”

“Excellent choice.” The tailor commented, fitting the navy tuxedo set to Jesse in mere moments. 

The next appointment at a boutique was Romy’s burlesque outfit fitting — which she  _ did not _ allow either men to follow her to. Sofia didn’t really have much of an idea of what would be considered a “good” outfit, but she was there to give her an opinion all the same. 

“Isn’t this… too red?” Romy sighed, stepping out of the fitting room. She was clad in a tight, sparkling fire-red corset two-piece, her back dawned with decorative red feathers and gems and red fishnet stockings up to her thighs. It certainly  _ was _ very bright, but the whole point of it was to draw attention to herself. 

“I think it looks good,” Sofia tilted her head, glancing at the outfit up and down. It looked uncomfortably flashy and itchy, and she praised the heavens she wasn’t in her friend's position. “Very extravagant, but isn’t that the point?”

“I suppose,” Romy nodded, glancing in the split mirrors and smoothing her hands down over her stomach and curves accentuated by the tight corset. “This isn’t even the worst part. I have to learn a whole performance  _ and _ make sure the main star doesn’t show.”

Sofia laughed. “You’ll manage, Rome. You always do.”

“Thanks, Sofi.”

Although her words seemed kind and sincere, Sofia could sense that there was something else wrong here. It wasn’t like Romy to turn her nose up at a mission like this, but it appeared her anxiety was getting the better of her this time. It was too out of character for the Mexican to  _ not _ notice, so she stopped Romy as they were walking out of the store with her new outfit purchased, just before they reached the boys. 

“Do you want to tell me what’s really going on?” She asked, softly. “You’re acting differently… this isn’t like you, to be so  _ tense _ .”

Romy visibly hesitated, stuck for words. “I… I don’t know, okay?”

Sofia hummed, dissatisfied with her friend's answer but she sensed that it was an uncomfortable topic so she daren’t pry. If Romy was to be honest with anybody,  _ especially  _ herself, her powers just seemed to have up and disappeared. At first, it was easy to convince herself that she was just drunk and tired the night before, but come to think of it she hadn’t bothered to use her powers or they hadn’t appeared since their first mission… 

It wasn’t just Sofia who noticed her change in attitude. Genji, as the quiet and reserved individual he was, was able to notice minor things others wouldn’t. He could tell that even from that very morning that something was wrong with her, and he wanted to find out. So that very evening, he confronted her as the other pair sat watching a movie, too distracted to notice.

“I can sense that something is wrong.” He stated straightforwardly, standing behind Romy as she poured herself a glass of ice water. She didn’t respond, instead, she simply raised her eyebrows towards him, a little irritated by the fact everybody was prying on her emotions that day. “Is it to do with your powers?”

Her face softened immediately, the  _ first _ giveaway that he’d hit the nail on the head. “How’d you guess?” She questioned, rolling her eyes.

“Must you be so defensive?” He shot back, crossing his arms and frowning. “Maybe I just want to help you.”

“I didn’t  _ ask _ for your help,” she answered, walking towards the exit of the kitchen to make her way to her room, where she might finally get some peace, or at least some privacy. Genji’s prosthetic hand grasped her bicep, stopping her in her tracks. Her heart seemed to drop in her chest and she swallowed, glancing at him. “Why are you trying so hard?”

“Just let me be a friend,” he told her, a definite sternness to his tone. “You’re always so hot and cold with me. One moment we get along, and the next… you don’t even want to know me.”

She didn’t realise how much her internal battles were affecting her relationship with Genji. In fact, she wasn’t even exactly  _ sure _ where her relationship with Genji stood — but he was right, they’d go from sparring and training all day to not speaking a word to each other the next, almost as if they were purposely avoiding each other. She hadn’t noticed that she was the only one doing the ‘avoiding’, but maybe he was right. Sometimes, when she had so much going on inside, it was easier to just walk away from everything.

“I’m sorry, Genji, I just—” Romy didn’t even know where to begin, and sighed exasperatedly, pinching her nose. She felt something build up in her chest, like the words were about to  _ burst _ right out of her mouth. It was hard to tell Sofia, she just wouldn’t get it. But maybe Genji… “—I just  _ haven’t _ been able to access my powers.”

He nodded, finally releasing her arm. “I assumed as much.”

“I keep desperately trying to activate them,” she continued, glancing over through to the living area to ensure there were no prying ears, satisfied when she noticed the other two laughing at the holomovie. She stared back at the cyborg. “I’m scared they’ve just  _ gone _ . I’m not like you or the others — without them I’m nothing, I’m vulnerable.”

“That’s not true,” he reassured her. “You’re an excellent fighter.”

She shrugged. “But that was always supposed to be my second line of defence, my last resort,” she pressed on, but there was something else lingering and deep down, both herself and Genji could sense it. “I just… I don’t want to be  _ weak _ . If I end up coming face to face with my father,  _ I  _ want to be the one to take him down, but how am I supposed to do that if I can’t even use my fire?”

“We’ve already discovered that it has chemical blocks,” Genji began. “Have you considered that there might be a… psychological block, too?”

“What?” Romy frowned. “You mean to tell me that I can just  _ think _ my powers back?” 

“Perhaps your inner turmoil is preventing you from accessing them,” he stated. “I sense there is something on your mind. You’re not focused.”

She didn’t know how to answer that. The only thing that came to mind was her obsession with her father, and how it would only be quenched when he died by her hands, and she had her mother and Ken back alongside her,  _ safe _ .

“Think about it.” Genji finished, holding a lingering stare for a moment before turning to leave the room.

All the while they were talking, Romy had hardly noticed the stinging chill the cold glass made on her hand, and she quickly placed the glass down onto the countertop, rubbing her hands together to rid them of the condensation. For a brief moment, she noticed a spark. Doing a double-take, she rubbed her hands together again, noticing the familiar lick of red flames on her palms that gently ebbed when she stopped her movements.

She looked back up to tell Genji, but he’d already gone. 


	16. I Got A Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another filler chapter!   
> the next is a rlly exciting one that i'll post tomorrow!
> 
> ty for all those sticking around, pls let me know what you think so far!! <3
> 
> -kat

**Los Angeles  
** **Friday  
** **4:31PM**

“But would this even work?” Sofia questioned, frowning tightly as she stared at the large Casino blueprints mapped out in front of her on the floor. She was sat squished on a small cushion, one knee propped up to rest her head-on. 

Jesse and herself were sprawled across the living room floor, lit up by a cascade of dying afternoon light from the large, wall-scaled window at the far end of the room. Her hair was scraped into her usual braid and she wore a comfy, grey two-piece, whereas McCree wore black sweatpants and a white muscle t-shirt. They were enjoying one another’s company as they scouted the plan, something Sofia wasn’t used to. She was so  _ sure _ she preferred working alone until she met Jesse and the rest of the Blackwatch crew, and it was a breath of fresh air to bounce ideas off of one another.

McCree thought for a moment. Sofia was analysing the safety of the scenario in which they lug a drugged man into a car — it seemed easy hypothetically until they realised the backstage entrance to the changing rooms where Romy would have the target in question was a very busy, popular avenue. It would draw a  _ lot _ of eyes and be very difficult to pull off in the shadows when they were on possibly the brightest streets in the entirety of America.

“We'll make do,” McCree reassures her, sitting opposite with a red marker in hand as he drew a large circle around the alleyway entrance on the side. “You can swing 'round back, we’ll meet you there.”

Sofia shook her head. “That wouldn’t work — alleyways too tight for that monster of a hovercar.” She chewed her lip for a moment, checking the street view before drawing a long red line across the street on the map before drawing a large X. “Look, if you stay in contact, we have approximately a ten-second window for me to pull up out front and for you to all get in the car. That way we have a better chance at being unnoticed — any longer than that and people are getting left behind.”

“You a good driver?” He asked quizzically, leaning back against the couch behind him lazily.

She lifted her eyes to meet his, a smirk growing on her lips. “As I  _ said _ , there’s much you don’t know about me.”

Jesse held eye contact, looking undeniably intrigued and impressed.

“C’mere,” he gestured after a moment of silence, to which Sofia shuffled towards him as he pointed to the Blueprint and the maps. “If we book to stay in this motel here, crime rates are pretty high…”

“So what you’re saying is…?” Sofia urged, not sure what he was insinuating. 

“Lack of security, lack of cameras,” he nodded, to which she realised he meant it was the best and most discreet location nearby. “I’d say it's our best bet.”

Sofia chewed her own marker and nodded in agreement. “That’s perfect,” she said, eyeing the mess they’d made of the floor with notes, floor plans and maps. She had to admit, she might’ve never spotted that location on her own. “Good eye, cowboy.”

“What can I say?” He chuckled, sharing a high five with her before stretching and yawning. “Well… that’s all the work done for today.”

Sofia pursed her lips in thought and glanced toward the holostation ahead of them, paired with four controllers. Jesse noticed what she was staring at, and then they both exchanged a knowing look.

“You wanna play some video games?” She asked.

He laughed again. “I’ll kick your ass! Hell yeah, I do.”

“You’re on.”

* * *

Soon, the rest of the Blackwatch crew was called downstairs to join in on a scheduled conference call from Commander Reyes, who wanted to ensure everything was going smoothly. He appeared tired and stressed on the other end of the holovid, but nobody asked any questions. 

“How’s everything coming along? Disastrously, I imagine?” He immediately said, though there was a definite smile on his face. 

McCree laughed. “Hey, commander, have a little faith!”

“So, you're headed to a Casino this weekend?” Reyes continued, his voice gruff as he reached to rub the four-day-old stubble on his jaw. He’d heard about the operation a few days ago when McCree had proposed the idea, but this time he wasn’t the one to give the green light — Jack Morrison stepped in to approve. “No crazy bets this time, right?”

Romy smirked. “You’re lucky I’m not the one  _ making _ the bets, otherwise you could count on it.”

“Dancing, huh?” Gabe continued, remembering the role they’d given for her. “I never thought I’d see the day you did anything other than have an attitude.”

Everybody laughed at that, and the girl simply rolled her eyes in response. “I  _ do  _ have a personality, Reyes.”

The man on the other end gave a simple, honest chuckle and shook his head. It seemed as if he were more mellowed out lately, ever since he’d apologised to the girls for his harshness. Each member of the group could see there really  _ was _ something behind his new softer, more considerate approach to dealing with his underlings. Something about the man was changing, and there was such a strong newness about it that nobody really knew if it was for the good or not.

Gabriel asked his agents a few more questions, having both McCree and Sofia go into a little more detail in case he needed to smooth out any bumps in their scheme. Though he’d never admit it, he was rather impressed. 

“Alright,” the commander concluded, nodding with an air of confidence. “Let’s just hope this all goes to plan. We have a history of shit hitting the fan. And you —” Gabe pointed at Romy on his screen. “— no  _ fires _ , please. The last thing we need is a whole damn casino being set ablaze.”

Romy forced a smile at his words, though they stabbed right into her stomach. “I can guarantee you that won’t happen.” Her body became rigid from the anxiety her thoughts gave her, and she couldn’t help distractedly staring into space.

“Perfect,” her commander answered. With a heavy sigh, Gabe indicated that it was time for him to go. “Right. Well, you know where I am if you need me. I’ve got business to take care of.”

“Alrighty,” McCree answered, and watched as his commander hung up the video call without another word. 

The four of them stood idle for a few moments, letting silence fill the air. The first to stand up was McCree, and he turned to Sofia. “Hope you’re still planning on making those fajitas for dinner, Sof. I’m gonna hold you to it.”

Sofia had previously been watching her redhead friend, who seemed to be completely out of it even after the call had ended. Her attention was soon brought onto Jesse, and she smiled warmly at him. “I mean, I would have to go out and buy the ingredients…”

“Great idea, actually,” the cowboy responded. “It’s about time we did some explorin’ around these parts. Genji, Rome, what do you say?”

Romy didn’t register the words fully, snapping back into reality with a slight jump as a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to glance at Genji right as he retracted his hand, before turning her attention to McCree. “What was that?”

“We’re going to head into town. Sofia’s gonna cook dinner for us. Welcome back, by the way.”

It didn’t take long for Romy’s awareness to return and she flicked her eyes over to Sofia, with a look of fondness on her face. “Thank god, homemade food. We’re gonna need a lot more of that living here.”

Sofia’s mutual, soft expression quickly hardened as something clicked in her head. “Hang on. I hope you realise I’m not cooking _every day_ .” She commented, turning her head to McCree who immediately pulled a puppy-dog face. “Cook your own food.”

“We  _ could _ take turns,” Jesse suggested, shrugging. “I don’t mind makin’ a little something now and then.”

“Absolutely not,” Romy deadpanned, her lethal gaze locking onto him. Even though she gave the response, Sofia had also pulled a face at McCree’s idea. 

“You have such a problem with my taste in food,” the man tutted in response. “You’ll see, Miss Gasai.”

After looking into it a little, Sofia managed to discover there was actually a small marketplace near their residence. It was convenient for them and saved them the effort of having to go deeper into the city -- where it would most likely be overwhelmingly busy. It took quite a bit of convincing for everyone to get Genji to tag along, he’d originally planned on staying in and utilising the building’s gym, but after all three had pestered him long enough he'd given in. 

The group found themselves walking down a large, decorative walkway that led them to the marketplace. It was early in the evening, and the orange glow of the sunset sky illuminated everything in its way. It was a little late to be buying groceries, which meant the streets were a little more on the empty side -- except for a few other shoppers here and there.

"Ah," McCree exhaled dramatically. "I missed being able to  _ read _ signs. German was too much of a challenge." In Zürich, Jesse had struggled horrifically to get about in his spare time. More than a few times he'd ventured out and ended up completely lost.

It took quite a bit of walking before they located the stalls that Sofia had been looking for. The girl had also figured it useful to buy groceries for the rest of the week -- everyone would pick  _ and pay _ for themselves, obviously. There were fresh fruits and vegetables to choose from, and a smaller stall full of spices, chilies, and sundries. 

"Oh, perfect," Sofia pointed out as she made her way over to the stalls. On her way, she turned around and faced the others, motioning towards her to get them to follow. "Come on."

As Sofia sifted through the vegetables, looking for her ingredients, McCree stood close to observe her and remained quiet.

Meanwhile, Genji and Romy stood a little further back from the two and observed their surroundings, as if they were looking for any sudden trouble that might come their way. It was a natural defense mechanism that they shared.

"What's that one?" McCree questioned, baffled as he pointed to a vegetable he didn't recognise.

"Will you stop asking questions?" Sofia seemed to be in her own world. Cooking was actually something she enjoyed when she had the chance, and the idea of being able to enjoy some proper Mexican food excited her. 

A small, warm laugh sounded out from behind the stall, and the two of them looked up simultaneously. " _ Qué lindo, _ " the owner of the stall spoke, and her presence radiated a welcoming, kind energy as she did so. "It is a  _ tomatillo _ ,  _ señor _ ."

Sofia had instantly recognised the lady was, too, Mexican and immediately felt somewhat calmer knowing this. " _ Disculpe _ ," she apologised, nudging McCree. " _ Jesse,  _ apologis--"

“ _ Está bien, _ ” the woman waved the words off, shaking her head. " _ Dulce pareja. _ "

Sofia's eyes widened at the words, her head snapping back up once again to meet the other lady's gaze. " _ No somos una pareja. No. Eso es absurdo! _ " A nervous laugh sounded out from Sofia as she denied that her and the man next to her were a couple. 

"What's she sayin'?" The cowboy questioned cluelessly, looking back and forth between the two Mexican ladies conversing before him. He'd even turned around to look at Genji and Romy for help, and received nothing but two in-sync shrugs.

"It doesn't matter," Sofia swallowed, hard, and passed over what she was buying to the older lady. For some reason, even though her friends couldn't understand their exchange, it had still given her a slight flush to her cheeks. Once she'd been handed over the bag of produce, she passed over the money to the woman that stared at her with a strange look on her face. It was something akin to amusement. 

" _ Gracias, cariño. _ " 

Next to look for was the meat, and it was an easy find. Just a little bit further down the plaza, there was a butcher's — which McCree had reveled in the discovery of because  _ now he could finally buy bacon —  _ and Sofia was able to buy her meat safely, free of any nosey old Latina women trying to embarrass her.

When Sofia was finished buying everything she needed, the trip didn't end there. In fact, they all had agreed to stay out a little longer, not wanting to miss the opportunity to look around. Obviously, they hadn't had the chance when in Zürich, and it was nice to behave like normal people for a little while. Even if they were far from it.

They strolled through the well-worn streets of LA, the heat of the sun low on the horizon still present. In the distance, they could hear what appeared to be stressful bustling and overlapping yells and patterned shouts. They all turned in the direction the sound came from, spotting what appeared to be a protest in the distance, omnic and human alike holding up banners. 

Above them was a large, animated billboard, with Gasai Tech. standing bright and bold, almost as if it were  _ taunting _ them. It appeared the streets of California weren’t too pleased with his presence, either, considering their signs slanderized, devalued and trashed his name. 

Romy crossed her arms, unable to take her eyes off the screen as her dad's face appeared, seeming to make direct eye contact with her before it moved onto the next advertisement. 

Genji’s eyes scanned the crowd, analysing the malicious and rowdy group of protestors. One of them turned their heads to the viewing four, their banner held high before their face  _ froze _ upon spotting Romy, as if they were piecing things together— 

“Let’s go,” he said, taking her arm and turning her away from the onlookers. Jesse and Sofia lingered for a second, sharing a moment of eye contact as they started to realise just how dirty Saburo Gasai worked, now that his face was all over the US. 

They soon made their way back to the apartment complex with no more words exchanged, a strange atmosphere shared between them. Even being out for an  _ hour _ , just to  _ shop _ , they still weren’t able to easily avoid trouble. It was slowly becoming apparent that their lives in LA would not be anything close to ordinary and, with all the riots and Gasai’s good and bad influences, it would be a challenge for them to blend in.

“He’s doing it on purpose,” Romy nearly growled, as she entered the doorway of their living quarters. All the pressure was really getting to her, and her body was rigid from the stress and paranoia. 

Sofia and McCree exchanged a look, as the Mexican girl dumped the bags full of food onto the side. 

“I’ve never seen so much Gasai propaganda before,” Sofia agreed and watched as the man looking over at her nodded too. “Do you think he’s onto us?”

Jesse sighed, pulling his hat from his head to ruffle his hair. “It wouldn’t surprise me… We’ve made enough of a scene…”

The silent one of the room had situated himself on the sofa, listening to the conversation as he distanced himself to think. It was worth considering that Saburo Gasai could be very much aware of Overwatch’s efforts — after all, he was far from foolish and would know just how many people wanted him dead.

“Fuck,” Romy cursed, shaking her head and pacing over to sit across from Genji. Not being able to use her powers would be a huge hindrance, especially if they were to be infiltrated or attacked by her father’s men. With what they saw today, they couldn’t be sure just how much he knew and whether or not this meant the risk of danger was higher than they thought.

“How about some soul food to feel better?” Sofia announced after a period of awkward silence. 

“Hell yeah,” McCree cheered as if he were completely unphased by the air. The man-made his way over to Sofia, who was already unpacking things and putting them into the refrigerator. “You need me to help?”

“Nope,” she barely cut him off, side-eyeing him carefully as she laid out the groceries on the large kitchen island. “You’ll only be in my way. But thanks.”

Jesse put a hand to his heart and made a noise of defeat at the rejection. “It hurts, Sof. It really does. Cuts deep.”

The girl cracked a small smile and moved to the side, nudging McCree out of her way as she did so. “Shut up.”

Sofia worked her magic in the kitchen as she slowly made her way around, grabbing the utensils she needed and figuring out the modernised stove. Back home, when she had the chance to make a good meal, she was usually in charge of the cooking and organising. Being one of seven siblings and daughter to a bed-ridden mother gave her the experience she needed to gain fast hands and the ability to measure by eye. 

The spread she’d laid out was massive, even if it was just fajitas and refried beans to go on the side. It  _ was _ from home, though, and made from scratch. Sofia didn’t know how to cook in smaller quantities — there would be leftovers for sure — but she had her large family history to blame for that.

McCree was on his sixth fajita when everyone was finishing up, seemingly unable to get enough of Sofia’s great cooking. When he’d taken his first bite, the reaction from him was very overplayed — Romy had thought, anyway. Sofia’s food  _ was _ delicious, however. You could tell she’d really put thought into it, and made sure to perfect each part of the cooking process. 

“Thanks, Sofia,” Genji spoke, standing to his feet and taking his plate with him to the sink. 

Sofia had almost expected something more than that, but then she remembered it was Genji. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it.”   


“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Romy asked, still finishing off some of the beans on her plate. She had never fancied cooking herself, but definitely didn’t complain when somebody made something from scratch. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Mexican food before. It’s amazing.”

“You’re missing out,” Sofia answered, sitting cross-legged on the plush sofa. She was happy that everybody enjoyed her food — she might’ve thought that they wouldn’t appreciate it as much as she would considering it was the flavours she’d grown up with, but they all seemed satisfied.

“I  _ love _ Mexican food,” Jesse hummed, mouth full of food. “Growin’ up in Texas, you can’t miss out on it. It’s part of the culture.  _ Especially _ fajitas. Sofia, you know the way to my heart.”

“You can thank my ancestors for that,” Sofia teased, wiping the corner of her mouth free of the sauce residue, the spice lingering on her lips. “I used to cook for my family all the time… well, at least when I could.” 

“Do you enjoy it?” Romy asked, looking at her friend as she shuffled the food around with her fork. 

“What, cooking?” Sofia asked, to which her friend nodded in confirmation, unable to verbally comment due to her full mouth. Sofia’s thoughts wandered back to her small, cramped house, and how the smell of spice would linger in the air for days whenever she cooked up a meal. When she was little, her father was the primary cook of the house, and when he met his demise her mother quit her job to look after the children and ended up bed-ridden with illness for most of her life. She picked cooking up fairly easily, with a burnt tortilla here and there. “I just enjoy eating it.”

“Mhm,” Romy nodded, taking her final bite. “Well, so do I.”

“And me,” Jesse added, finally swallowing another mouthful of food. “I’ll cook for everyone next. Give me a chance to impress y’all with my skills.”

“You can’t outdo Sofia here, Jesse,” Romy sighed, thinking about what dreadful dish the man would present to them. She suddenly remembered some of the horrendous meals he presented her with in Deadlock. “And if it’s something wrapped in bacon, count me out…”

“Let’s say it  _ is _ wrapped in bacon…” 

That was the last anybody needed to hear, as they’d rather preserve their arteries than ingest the grease fest that Jesse had in mind. Genji and Romy offered to do the dishes when everybody had finished their meals, and McCree packed away the leftovers and put them into the fridge wrapped in cling film.

Soon after they’d finished their meal, they’d all collectively decided to go to bed after the meal had left them all suffering from food comas. Genji and Romy soon disappeared, leaving the other two lagging behind in silence until they finally reached the hallway to their adjacent bedrooms.

“Thank you for dinner,” McCree voiced softly, as the two turned around to meet eyes once reaching their doors. “Really. Best fajitas I’ve ever tasted.”

“You’re welcome,” Sofia replied, also with a gentleness in her tone. “Just don’t expect me to do this regularly, alright? I’m not everyone’s damn mother…”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her. “I’ll pay you back sometime… maybe you’d enjoy some of my American cuisine.”

Sofia wasn’t sure what his “cuisine”  _ was _ , but she appreciated the wholesome gesture nonetheless. And then with open arms and an almost cautious step forward, they embraced for a moment. They shared a fairly unique friendship — it was based mostly off of dumb competitions, video games, and binge eating together — but they still cared for one another deeply, and this hug was one of the very rare physical signs of that. 

“Thanks, Jesse — you’re a good friend,” she smiled as the both of them appreciated the brief moment of contact. When they separated, they smiled at each other. “Goodnight.”

“G’night.”


	17. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i hope y'all are enjoying.
> 
> pls leave a comment letting me know your thoughts!!
> 
> -kat

**Los Angeles  
** **Saturday  
** **6:57PM**

“So… how do I look?” Romy asked, twirling around and staring at the full-length mirror from across from her. Genji stood in the doorway, leaning leisurely against the beams as he analysed her outfit for a moment following her question, eyeing her red get-up from head to toe.

“I don’t care for such  _ flamboyant _ clothes, but you wear it well.” He answered honestly. He wasn’t lying — since she’d gained her appetite back, her figure was riding that edge of slender and curvy, and the fitted corset and outfit all but complimented that, even if it was slightly out of her comfort zone. 

Romy then frowned at herself. “I look ridiculous.”

Genji laughed, dryly. “Isn’t that the point?”

The redhead twisted her body to look at the outfit from the side, still frowning as she folded her arms. “Yes,” she answered. “People find  _ this _ attractive?”

“It’s  _ entertaining _ ,” the man responded. “I suppose you have to make it more attractive. It _ is  _ your job to seduce this man.”

“Yeah, with my dancing?” Romy pulled a face in the mirror as she applied a coat of velvety lipstick, the colour matching the rest of her fit. 

“Don’t forget your wig,” Genji reminded, giving a smirk from behind his mask that Romy somehow heard in his tone.

When the girl snapped her head in his direction to glare, she heard him snickering as he unfolded his arms and turned to leave the doorway. With an annoyed huff, she turned back towards the mirror and reached over for the blonde bundle of hair on the floor. The tight wig cap she managed to pull on had made it that much easier to pull the wig over her head. It was a little uncomfortable, and Romy could see her head sweating profusely later on, but she’d have to suck it up. Once it was secure, she adjusted the bob-cut and until it fit her facial shape perfectly and began to secure it to the net underneath with pins.

Romy was officially finished getting ready, and she once again glanced at her appearance in the mirror. With the makeup, and now the wig, she looked almost nothing like her normal self and felt very impressed with her own skills because of it. Though she disliked wearing the outfit, she didn’t ignore the fact that she looked  _ good _ — even if she looked like a glorified bird of some sort.

“You ready to go?” Sofia suddenly asked, peering around the open doorway as she noticed Romy gathering the rest of her things, including a large, black jacket to wear for the car journey. The girl merely nodded in response, to which Sofia gestured for her to follow as she led her way to the elevator that led to the parking garage, where McCree and Genji were already gathered. “Hello, boys,” she sing-songed, reaching for the car door handle that unlocked through facial recognition. Everybody followed suit, jumping into the car that smelt of newness only to be overpowered by the perfumed and cologne. “Seat belts.”

The plan was to drop Genji and Romy round the back, where Romy would silence the main burlesque act to take her place whilst Genji would take out one of the waiters and steal their outfit, whereas McCree would be going through the front entrance to scope out the perimeter and hopefully identify the target.

The drive to Las Vegas was short, smooth, and comfortable on their way there, the expensive vehicle showing it's worth under Sofia’s hands. Due to an express tunnel that had recently been constructed to connect the two popular cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, what would usually be a good few hours of a drive would only take Sofia a mere half an hour. It was the kind of technology Sofia had never witnessed, and she thought she'd seen it all by now.

Soon the girl was pulling to a halt at the dingy back entrance of the casino, where Romy and Genji hurried out, pushing their earpieces in.

“Give me the word and I’ll meet you out front,” Sofia said as she rolled the black-tinted window down, leaning against the open ledge. “You need to be fast — got it?”

They both nodded in agreement before vanishing behind the metal doors that lead to the casino. 

“You’re next, cowboy,” Sofia pointed out, rolling to a slow stop as they reached the end of the queue of cars outside the entrance of the casino. He adjusted his navy tux and glanced at her, his fingers resting on the door handle, visibly hesitating. 

“How do I look?” He asked, worried he might not fit in with the rest of the crowd. Sofia sensed his insecurity and offered him a soft smile.

“Like a million bucks,” she reaffirmed, punching him playfully on the shoulder. “Now  _ go _ .”

He simply nodded and stepped out of the vehicle, sparing her a final glance as he stepped past the golden, decorative doors into the large, open, bustling casino. The smell of alcohol and money hung in the air as he scanned the area, seeing nothing but expensively-cloned men who all looked alike in some sense.

Meanwhile, Romy had spotted a red door that donned a star-shaped nameplate reading _Sabrina_ _Czerwinski,_ just as a glammed-up girl stepped out of the room that it led to and into the public restroom opposite. Romy recognised the name from previous research she had done into the burlesque-themed show. Genji had followed her eyes and noticed the scenario, piecing it together. This was her window of opportunity.

“Be careful.” The cyborg insisted, his voice firm and comforting. 

Romy already knew what she needed to do. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment, disappearing down the hallway and leaving him to his own accord, where he scoped out a waiter who appeared to be taking a smoke break as he left the building, cigarette and lighter in hand.

“Target identified,” McCree mumbled, his voice barely picking up through the static feedback on everybody's earpiece. “He’s got quite the crowd about him… keep your eyes peeled.”

He wasn’t lying when he said that. Across from McCree sat the man in question, Daniel Warren, surrounded by a gaggle of laughing businessmen and their flirting arm-candy. The man definitely fits the description: young, attractive, and dark-haired, with unique scarring across his forehead. Warren had an arm slung around an even younger-looking girl, who ogled at his very existence as he smoked the cigar he held in his other hand. 

McCree clicked his tongue at the sight, shaking his head as he threw back his bourbon and set the glass down onto the bar with force. “Asshole,” he muttered to himself, putting his hand by his ear discreetly as he spoke. “Show starts in five. Romy, you in position?” 

Romy smiled sweetly at a staff member who paced by, listening through her earpiece but not responding to her friend. 

The main dancer, the  _ star _ of the show, had exited the bathroom and made her way back into her dressing room momentarily. As the show was minutes away from starting, the hallway she stood in was now completely empty as other dancers and technical staff were readying themselves. 

The once redheaded woman pushed down the door handle to Sabrina's dressing room slowly, and quietly slipped through. The girl was distracted by herself, fumbling around with a dazzling, beaded headpiece that almost looked like a cluster of diamonds. The room was dimly lit aside from a ring light that the girl likely used for her makeup, making it easy for Romy to go unnoticed behind Sabrina. As Romy moved closer, her silk-black jacket came into view and Sabrina let out a gasp of sheer shock. Before any escalation, the disguised girl pulled the other into a strong arm-lock that took only seconds to knock her out. 

“Sorry,  _ chérie _ ,” she whispered, holding the weight of Sabrina's body as she lowered to the ground. In the pocket of her jacket sat a minuscule syringe containing a mild tranquilizer, which she pulled out and pressed into the neck of her unfortunate target. “It's nothing personal. I'm probably doing you a favour, anyway.”

Before she moved out, Romy untied the silk jacket and let it fall from her body. In the mirror, she fixed her slightly disheveled wig and hummed in satisfaction. A glimmer of light from where Sabrina lay caught her eye and her eyes soon spotted the headpiece that sat crooked across the girl's forehead. After a brief moment of hesitation, she reached down and took it, fixing it to her own head and smirking at herself in the mirror. “ _ Parfaite _ .”

“ _ Rome, _ ” McCree quietly pressed, now sipping from his second glass of whiskey. 

“Shut your ass up,” the girl responded, taking her hand down from her earpiece as she paced towards where the stage would be.

A smirk crept onto the cowboy's face at the reaction and, as if on cue, the lights throughout the casino slowly began to dim. “Showtime.”

Romy had done research into this whole performance — of  _ course, _ she had, she wouldn’t go into this whole thing and completely improvise it all. That would put them at risk of compromisation, and god forbid yet  _ another _ Blackwatch assignment would head in that direction. Luckily, this burlesque routine was a regular occurrence at the casino, which gave Romy some room to do a little digging. It was amazing what technology could help you find on the internet, especially when there were hundreds of recordings of a certain performance lingering around on it. 

Learning the routine was definitely one of the easier things she’d forced herself to do. Romy wasn’t a dancer, it had never interested her even if she  _ had _ been allowed to do so from a young age, but adaptation was definitely a talent of hers. From observing so much, she had gained an understanding of the sheer flexibility, discipline, and timing it took to be a dancer. Luckily, the deceitful girl had been trained from infanthood to ace all, and more, of those said skills.

Besides, the idea of screwing this whole thing over in front of her companions was a key component of her drive to not fail.

It was an extravagant show to watch, and as soon as the music overwhelmed her uncertainty she felt the memorised movements carrying her through the dance — the less she thought about it, the easier it became, and the more she blended into less of herself and more of a burlesque stage girl. Regardless, it was hard to ignore how heavy the  _ hundreds _ of eyes were upon her. 

It was at this point, as Genji held a serving tray on his flat palm and watched, that Romy was  _ more _ than just a fellow agent. Sure, he knew she had her own personal life outside of Blackwatch, but this was different — she carried herself in her role so well, the way her body moved— 

“Hey, cyborg!” A man yelled.

Genji glared over, his other hand tucked behind his back in a fist.

“Get us a drink, will ya?” Daniel demanded, laughing with his friend about Genji’s enhancements. 

Silently, Genji grit his teeth, but still managed to nod curtly, lowering his plate and handing the man a scotch on the rocks, before promptly turning on his heel to collect the empty glasses scattered around Warren’s table.

Romy wasn’t tiring quite so easily, but her task of seduction was becoming increasingly boring as she began to understand just how much she’d have to put in in order for it to work. It was difficult to observe her target properly with the intense spotlights glaring painfully into her eyes, but from what she could see he seemed rather distracted by his companions, smoking and knocking back glass after glass.

It was only when the feathers were discarded that she caught more attention — more flesh, more eyes. Regardless of how progressive women had been in protecting their right to express their femininity, men  _ still _ ogled, and succumbed to their desires with hungry stares and dirty words.

“You’ve got his attention now.”

Romy smiled as she turned her back to the crowd, finishing her act as she sat down on the available platform, shooting a sultry backwards glance, maintaining direct eye contact with Daniel who smirked over the top of his crystallised whiskey glass. 

The timing was perfect. Romy had managed to steal his gaze at the exact moment her solo dance would begin. Whilst the lights dimmed down again, she remained sitting in her spot on the stage as she reached over for the black foldable chair that lay on the stage below her. This was the part she dreaded the most, because  _ all _ the attention would be on her this time. It was the moment she’d watched over and over in the videos she’d seen; the moment where she’d have to  _ really _ channel into the sexual side of herself that had barely ever surfaced.

As the music began, Romy flicked the chair so it unfolded and sat it on the stage. The lights brightened up once again, spotlight centre stage as the girl held onto the edge of the plastic chair and slowly bent herself over in time with the music.

_ “I put a spell on you…” _

The next few moments went by in a blur, Romy seemingly getting lost in the routine she’d burned into her brain. As she moved with a fluidity, dragging her hand up her leg seductively and circling the chair, her eyes never left those of Daniel Warren’s. When she sat herself down on the chair, spreading her legs open slowly and closing them fast, she found herself loosening and actually…  _ enjoying _ it.

Daniel Warren’s face seemed to be full of infatuation, his smirk soon turning into a constant grin that never faded as he watched Romy, enticed by her every move and aura. The woman blinked slowly, her mouth slightly parted as she lay her back on the chair and pushed one leg into the air, almost doing a split in the process.

Where she harnessed this erotic energy and power from, she didn’t quite know. But at least she was basking in the thrill of it all. All her life, despite it being unstable, she’d always had some form of control with the power she bared. This was a whole new way to control someone, she'd figured. And she loved it. 

The next few moments were filled with slow, heavy, sensual moves and low-level body contorting that captivated every single person watching in the casino.

The performance got to a point where Romy’s hands lingered up and down her own body as she dipped low to the ground then back up again, the chair almost completely abandoned as she worked the stage by herself. As the music’s tempo began to slow, Romy came to her finish with her back to the audience, twisting to give her target one last alluring look before she strutted herself, with immense attitude, off of the stage and out of the limelight.

“You got him wrapped around your little finger… good job, Rome.” McCree commented. He hasn’t even had to do his job — they figured Jesse winning a few rigged games of poker might have thrown him off guard, but he was more naive than they knew, and a pretty girl was all it took for him to crack.

Daniel snapped his fingers, urging the waiters to bring him another drink with an apparent urgency. Genji was deftly at his side, a tray of champagne in his hand.

“Bring them backstage for me, will ya?” He asked snappily, his eyes hungrily roving toward the door that Romy had exited through. He barely bothered to address Genji's presence, who squeezed the small vial of drugs in his enclosed, hidden fist before nodding curtly. “Pfft… you guys see that broad? I’m all in.”

His words were gross, typical “locker room” talk amongst his rowdy friends, who all laughed and jeered in response. It took all of Genji’s self-control to not react, but he felt the fire of his dragon  _ aching _ to pounce. With a steady breath, he simply brushed his thoughts aside and walked into the back room, Daniel hot on his heels. 

Meanwhile, Romy was lounging in her backstage chair, Sabrina unluckily stuffed away in the closet, still hours away from coming to her senses. Romy couldn’t deny it — she  _ revelled _ in her clear success, and sighed dramatically to herself as she waited for his imminent arrival, fixing a smudge of her lipstick as she stared deep into the vanity mirror.

Six months ago she was a fragile, emotional time-bomb, wrecked by years of abuse and turmoil delivered on a silver platter by her father. It almost frightened her just how much she’d changed, but she was hopeful for who she was becoming, because above all, at least she was  _ herself _ .

A rhythmic, distinct knocking could be heard at her door. Romy collected herself almost  _ too _ fast, the emotional switch an instinctive defense mechanism she’d learned over the years. It was so easy to pretend you’re something you’re not when you weren’t even sure who you really were.

Standing to her feet, she twisted the knob on her door gently, peering round to notice Daniel, a cheesy grin on his face as he bit on a tooth-pick, his expensive, cashmere shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his tie hanging loose. Genji stood still behind him, and with a swift hand emptied the vial of drugs into a glass. Romy made note of which glass he spiked, and with a warm, red-painted smile, she invited the man inside.

“I’ll be taking those,” he said gruffly, snatching the champagne flutes from Genji before turning to Romy, gesturing rudely for the cyborg to leave, who nodded stiffly before turning away into the hallway. Romy swallowed hard as she shut the door behind her, hoping this was an easy job. “So…” Daniel began, placing the champagne glasses onto the vanity surface. She kept her eyes on the glasses, ensuring that she didn’t mix them up. “That was quite a show you put on there.”

“Well… it is my job, I suppose,” Romy responded, Americanising her accent to stay under the radar. “I saw you watching me.”

“I saw  _ you _ watching  _ me, _ ” the man responded, watching closely as Romy stepped towards him until she reached over for her flute of champagne.

Her eyes were emotionless, her expression almost impossible to read as she blinked heavily through thick, fake lashes. Daniel seemed to like the idea of trying to win over a lady. “Thanks for the champagne,” she spoke, raising the glass to her mouth and taking a gentle sip.

The man swallowed visibly, watching her take her drink as she kept their eyes connected. Reaching over to the vanity, he grabbed his own flute and took a big drink of it. The man didn’t care for champagne, preferred a whiskey, but wanted to impress the woman in front of him with the expensive alcohol nonetheless, and took it like a shot. 

“Usually women like you… they enjoy their five minutes of fame,” he began, his eyes narrowing as he returned the now empty glass to the table. “But something is different about you.”

“You must’ve not paid much attention to me before…” Romy answered, blinking her eyes as she watched his demeanor, expecting him to start deteriorating soon. “I’ve seen  _ you _ many times.”

“I suppose today you just really stood out to me,” he continued, his voice a little less jagged now he was comfortable. “I don’t know how or why... I’ve seen you on that stage so many times before.”

Romy took slow steps towards the man, and he backed up out of somewhat intimidation until his legs hit the vanity chair behind him and he sat down. “I guess I stepped up my game tonight. Maybe I was tired of waiting for you to notice me.”

Daniel Warren had never been reduced to speechlessness, simply staring in awe as the blonde stood before him and towered over in her heels. The look on Romy’s face was that of sickening mischief, and the man sitting down could do nothing but subdue in his position and watch in anticipation of what she would do.

“You know,” the blonde started, huffing out in annoyance and reaching up to pull the wig from her head along with the cap underneath. “Wigs are the literal worst. So uncomfortable.” Her hand ruffled through her hair to straighten the natural locks out a little, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Better.”

It was almost comical how well her red hair went with the outfit she sported -- almost as comical as the look on her target’s face when she’d suddenly changed hair colours. 

“I know it’s a surprise,” she waved him off with her hand, taking her champagne flute and swigging the rest in one go. “I just thought we should be honest with each other, you know?”

Daniel seemed to click back into place, remembering who he was — or who he  _ thought _ he was — as he turned his charm back on and slowly stood himself back up. “I think the red hair looks better.” The words left his mouth in a purr and, as he moved closer to Romy, he very nearly lost his balance and grabbed onto the vanity for stability. “The fuck?”

“Mm?” Romy feigned obliviousness, gently placing her glass back down.

The man rubbed at his eyes, the other hand on the dresser to keep him fixed in place. It was clear the sedative was kicking in, and Romy could do nothing but watch and enjoy the view. 

“I need to—” Daniel attempted to move forward, most likely to leave, and stumbled in the process. As he fell forward, he caught onto Romy and she instinctively pushed him back onto the chair once again with great force.

“You’re too touchy for my liking, Mr. Warren,” she frowned, stepping closer to him with confidence. At that point, her accent began to slip into it’s natural French-Canadian once again, but she brushed it off knowing she had him where she wanted him. “And  _ way _ too narcissistic for my liking.”

“You’re…” The man drawled out, unable to form a cohesive sentence as his mind dizzied further. “You — are…”

“Not Sabrina Czerwinski? You’re absolutely correct,” she finished for him, a small chuckle following the words. “She’s in there.” Romy motioned to the closet to her left. “Completely safe. From  _ freaks _ like you.”

His lips parted to say another word but he froze when McCree and the supposed cyborg waiter barged through the door. They promptly shut the door behind themselves, staring down at the man who appeared to be clutching onto strings to maintain his consciousness, the fear visible on his drooping face. 

“Well, well,” Jesse snickered with a smug expression across his face. “We didn’t even have to try — you just walked right to where we wanted you.”

Daniel looked confused and  _ frightened _ . He was all talk, though — they’d known that from the beginning. The last thing he saw before succumbing to the drugs was three people towering over him, his vision wavering. 

“That was easy,” Romy commented, folding her arms and looking down at his limp body on the ground. She poked his ribs with the point of her heeled shoes to confirm he was knocked out, satisfied when his arm fell dead at his side. “Now, who’s dragging him out of here?”

McCree sighed gruffly, knowing that he, the strongest of the three, had to take up the job of carrying him out of here. Genji slipped out of the room, ensuring that the coast was clear whilst Jesse tossed Daniel over his shoulder, grunting under the weight whilst Romy followed behind them, pulling on her black robe and pressing her fingers to her earpiece.

“Sofia,” she called out, to which she heard her static response to confirm she was on the other end of the line. “We’re on our way — we’ve got the target.”

Sofia revved the engine of the hovercar, taking a deep breath as she analysed the street surroundings before slipping into an opening and tightening her grip on the wheel. “Ten-second window.”

“Let’s go,” Genji urged, allowing everybody to pass by him first as he took the backline to ensure safety if anybody were to follow them or spot them on their way out, tearing off his waitressing jacket in the process, discarding it onto the floor. McCree steadied his grip on the unconscious man, rushing towards the exit door. 

Sofia rolled up to the entrance the second the doors slammed open, and they rushed forwards to open the car doors and get inside. McCree threw Daniels' boneless body into the back seats, his eyes flicking backwards for a  _ brief _ second to notice men clad in suits, the men who had previously been playing casino games with Daniel, cigarettes and lighters in hand, strolling through the same exit doors. They  _ immediately  _ kicked up a ruckus, yelling about what they saw going down.

“Sofia,  _ go _ !” Romy pressed, just as Genji barely shut the back car door behind him. Sofia narrowed her eyes, stepping her foot on the accelerant, rounding the corner as the hover tech of the car whirred and pulsed with power. 

“Watch out!” Jesse yelled, as she neared oncoming traffic.

_ Watch out?  _ Please.

Pulling the handbrake, she effectively swerved around an oncoming truck that blasted it's horn at her reckless driving. Regardless, Sofia’s confidence was through the roof, even more so when two identical hover cars began evidently tailing them, their speed almost matching that of Sofia’s car, but not quite keeping up with her mobility.

She learned to drive from drag races and hovercar trick competitions. It was a common occurrence in small rival gangs to make bets on who the best driver was in underground, illegal betting syndicates, and the girl front lined as Los Muertos best racer at just fifteen years old, and carried the title with her until she abandoned Dorado. 

Romy clapped and cheered for her friend, exhilarated by the thrill of the rush as the bright streets of Vegas flashed by in a blur of colour, soon dimming down as they reached the outskirts of the city, where the other cars were no longer visible, and Sofia followed the directions given by Jesse to the motel he’d booked them into. The parking lot was near to empty, with a half-asleep clerk at the front desk, dimly lit up by a ceiling light.

“I’ll get us a room,” Romy nodded, glancing at the unconscious man in the back seat. “Is there any way you can sneak him upstairs?”

McCree shrugged. “Only way is through the front reception.”

The girl sighed and unclipped her seatbelt, to which the rest of the crew followed. Genji and Jesse took an arm each of the knocked out man, basically dragging his smartly-clad body through the room. The front clerk appeared exhausted and barely paid attention, but still narrowed his eyes at the strange sight.

“Room for… four?” 

“A double is fine,” Romy said, smiling sweetly.

The clerk tapped away on his computer screen, visibly confused, before reaching over and handing them a key after Romy completed the transaction. He scratched his head, and McCree grinned almost cheesily.

“Had one too many to drink…” He covered, laughing. “We’ve all been there.”

The clerk appeared lost but satisfied with that statement and they continued along the hall until they found the room that matched the key. The lock was rusted and stiff and took a little bit of work to unlock, but was secure enough to ensure that no unwanted visitors would enter when they were inside. Genji grabbed the rustic wooden chair from the desk in the corner of the room and placed it directly in front of them all, as Jesse dropped Daniel into position, and Romy zip-tied his hands behind the chair.

“Now we play the waiting game,” Sofia huffed, cracking her knuckles before glancing over at her friends as Daniel’s head hung low, his chin against his chest. “You all okay?”

They all nodded curtly. Genji definitely seemed ruffled, or at least annoyed to an extent that Daniel’s cruel words definitely affected him. Romy felt uncomfortable, to say the least, and rushed into the bathroom for privacy to change out of her itchy, feathered clothes.

This zone of the city was particularly quiet, par for the hum of electricity in the air and the occasional car passing by. The room smelt of damp, clearly unmaintained and poorly used, with wallpaper peeling at the corners and what appeared, or what they  _ hoped _ , to be a coffee stain on the beige carpet. A clock hung on the wall, directly between the two double beds, indicating that the time was nearing 11PM. 

Sofia sat on the edge of one of the beds, resting her elbows on her thighs, her hands clasped together as she waited intently for him to wake up, before Jesse came over with a glass full of water freshly filled, and dumped it over his face.

He awoke with a dramatic gasp, his body immediately flexing and thrashing in reaction to the sudden change, his mouth agape. Daniel began struggling against the restraints, whipping his head around the room as he soaked up his surroundings, dimly lit by an old lamp in the corner of the room and flickers of street lights through the flimsy blinds, but it was enough for him to see everybody there.

“Where am I?” He asked exasperatedly, water dripping from his chin. His face was soon stricken with disgust and anger as his eyes focused on Romy, who soon emerged from the bathroom in comfier clothes. “You -- you fucking whore!”

And as the redhead’s face screwed up, ready to fire back at him, she was cut off by the smaller girl jumping to her feet from the bed and pacing over to him. Daniel’s head snapped to the side as the thud of her hit sounded out across his cheekbone, and all anyone could do was watch in awe. 

“Fucking talk about her like that, _hijueputa,_ ” Sofia growled, her other hand pointing right in between the man’s eyes. 

Daniel’s eyes flicked momentarily to Sofia as he registered the hit, but then back to Romy almost instantly. The disrespect only pissed the Mexican girl off even more. Her hand came back once again, ready to throw another punch, but it was stopped all too soon by a strong grip.

“Calm down now,” came Jesse’s gruff voice, soon relaxing his tight grip. “We got this.”

“I don’t think you understand,” the short girl answered, her thick brows furrowing with distaste as she leaned forward to spit her next words into his face. “You like treating women like shit, huh,  _ sucio cerdo? _ ”

“It’s fine, Sofi,” Romy cut in, smiling softly as she continued to wipe makeup from her face. It had been layered on  _ thick _ . “I think his ego’s a little shattered, cut him some slack.”

“You’re all  _ dead _ , I hope you realise,” Warren spoke, chuckling somewhat wickedly. “You don’t realise who you’re fuckin’ with,  _ bitch _ .” His last sentence was directed towards Romy, of course, his eyes still locked onto her indifferent face.

“Neither do you, clearly,” the redhead answered, her accent somewhat shining through a little more than usual.

After the response came, the cogs in Daniel’s mind seemed to start turning and he found himself observing Romy’s face rather than scowling at it. Something about it was so familiar but so foreign at the same time. And then it clicked, the realisation hitting him like a ton of bricks.

“Well no fuckin’ way,” he spoke slowly, shaking his head in complete wonder. “I don’t know if I should be more shocked at the fact that you’re still alive or that you’re a dirty fuckin’ spy.”

McCree then intervened, reaching forward and grasping the weak man’s face between his fingers and forcing their eyes to meet. “You’re gettin’ a little off-topic here, buddy. You got a lot to say for someone with no leverage here.”

Daniel Warren had figured the four of them weren’t after ransom money when he realised his bosses’ treacherous daughter was among them. It didn’t make sense to him, and there was no doubt in his mind that he’d ever understood the motive behind the whole thing. It didn’t stop him from making his offer, nonetheless.

“I can give you more money than I can information,” he promised, already knowing what was to come. 

“See, I think that’s a lie,” McCree answered, eyes flicking over to where Genji stood ready with a white rag of cloth. “We don’t have a lot of time for you, Mr. Warren. So I’m gonna need you to be straight with me.”

The ninja made his way towards the man sitting in the chair, idle in wait behind him as McCree continued his interrogation.

“I’m not lying,” Daniel answered, watching in fear as McCree glanced over to Sofia and nodded. The girl left the room momentarily, re-entering from the bathroom with a bucket in her hands. 

Before the vulnerable man could protest, his vision was soon cut short as the cloth was pulled over and wrapped around his face. Sofia handed the bucket to McCree, folding her arms over her chest as she watched the cowboy lift the bucket and pour.

The water was freezing cold, but the restriction of his airways and the fight or flight sensation that shot up in Daniel’s mind was much worse. Romy watched the man as he thrashed against his restraints and made panicked noises, muffled easily by the rag covering his face and the water filling his mouth. The redhead very nearly cringed at the sight.

He gasped and relished in his first, deep inhale when McCree and Genji relieved him for a moment, dropping the bucket to the side of the chair and towering over him intimidatingly. If only Daniel hadn’t such a large,  _ fragile _ ego, he might’ve not had to suffer so much — but they didn’t pity him. You can’t pity men like him.

The lamp flickered and buzzed with electricity ominously as Sofia stepped between McCree and Genji.

“You already know we’re not stupid,  _ gringo _ ,” Sofia murmured, rolling her wrists as if preparing for another punch. “You think we don’t know about your company's  _ massive _ payout just two days before Saburo hit news headlines in the US?”

Daniel’s face remained stony. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sofia glanced over at McCree who merely shrugged with compliance, grabbing the bucket of water yet again as Genji readied himself for the next wave.

“No—!” 

Romy pressed her lips together and glanced out of the window, turning away from the sight. This definitely wasn’t her forté, and generally didn’t sit right with her — she understood why they were doing it, but that didn’t stop it from triggering her fight or flight response. After all, the trauma of the own torture she’d received when she was just thirteen still tormented her to this day.

Jesse lifted Daniel’s head with a gloved hand by the dripping curls of his hair, water spurting out of his mouth and nose as he coughed and hacked, struggling to breathe as Sofia leaned down so that she was eye-level with Warren, who daren’t look her in the eye at that moment. She grasped him roughly by the chin, forcing him to stare.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, bud,” McCree commented, shaking his head as he glanced down at the bucket in his hands. “Either way you’re screwed, so let’s just get this over with.”

“I’m screwed?” Daniel cursed, spitting on the ground. “More like  _ she’s _ screwed.” He seethed, nodding towards the red-head who had her back turned to him. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing.

“So, you  _ do _ work for my father,” Romy pieced together, almost laughing at his inability to keep his mouth shut over things he clearly wasn’t supposed to talk about. Daniel’s cocky expression fell nearly instantaneously when he realised his slip up. “Where is he?”

“As if I know,” the man scoffed in response, soon recovering from his slip-up. 

“So he’s not the one you report to...” McCree nodded, his face reflecting deep thought. “Just as we thought.”

“I — I never said that,” Daniel tried to backtrack, his tone indicating to the four of them that he feared punishment from his superiors more than any kidnapper torturing him. “I never told you  _ anything _ .”

“Maybe you don’t have to,” Genji suddenly cut in, his eyes sharp. “We already know what we’re looking for. You just have to point us in the right direction.”

Daniel squirmed. “I told you, I don’t know nothin’!”

“Explain the damn payout, Warren,” McCree butted in threateningly, grabbing the bucket on the floor. “We’re not the ones gettin’ tired here.”

“Fuck this,” Sofia grunted, snatching the bucket from Jesse and watching as Genji reacted accordingly and pulled the cloth over Daniel’s face once again. The girl wasted no time in pouring the water onto his face, albeit a lot more forceful than McCree had been. And Sofia made sure to draw it out a whole lot longer this time.

Jesse pulled Sofia back to make her stop, the man spluttering violently as he went into a coughing fit straight after. Sofia shrugged the cowboy’s touch off and slammed the bucket to the floor, the loss of her patience becoming obvious to every other person in the room.

“You better start talking,” Sofia threatened, and she enunciated each word to show just how serious she was. It was at that moment that Jesse realised there wasn’t much he could control about the situation, and that she was taking head of the operation. He’d let her have her moment — for now. Daniel’s face was reddened from the previous punch he’d taken, but a dribble of blood followed from the next hit he took to the face as he grunted in pain, his head snapped to the side. 

He shook his head, water droplets landing on his chest and running down his visibly warm, reddened face. For a brief second he stared out of the window, as if expecting somebody to notice him. As a young, self-proclaimed entrepreneur, this was a situation he’d never expected himself to be in and, as expected, his  _ ego _ was the only thing keeping him afloat. Genji drew the blinds shut  _ tight _ , darkening the room more so, a faint orange glow illuminating the sweat gathering on his forehead. 

“Look, the lady’s clearly losing her patience here,” McCree attempted to bargain, unsure of what would come from Sofia once the inevitable happened. “How much longer do you think it’ll be before she gets bored of waterboarding you and moves onto something… a little more…—”

“I would get my knife,” Sofia answered, staring down at the pathetic man with cold eyes. “And do you want to know what I’d do with it?” As she spoke, she bent down to reach into her boot and pull out the concealed blade that sat in it. Daniel’s eyes were following her movements as she stepped forward once again and began trailing the knife along his thigh, moving the blade across his inner thigh and stopping just before his crotch, jamming the knife into the wood of the chair between his legs. “The last man didn’t fair too well when I didn’t get the answers I wanted. I’ll leave that up to your imagination.”

“If that’s not enough for you…” McCree continued, standing behind Daniel and grasping him firmly by the shoulders. “Romy here could fry you like  _ bacon _ .” 

From the immediate drop in his expression, it was visible that something clicked. Daniel Warren  _ knew _ Romy, he  _ knew _ of the Gasai family, as a result he only just pieced together what she was capable of. It only took one glance of her fiery-red eyes for him to squirm in place, and he appeared to crack. 

Still, Romy’s powers were  _ not _ back to how they used to be, but it was enough for intimidation purposes.

“ _ Alright, fine _ !” Daniel yelled, grunting against the tightness of his restraints. He gasped, catching his faltering breath. “I… I don’t know where Saburo Gasai is. I— fuck, he’s gonna kill me for this.”

“He won’t get the chance to kill you if you don’t tell us everything you know,” Genji added, his smirk evident in his voice. It was satisfying to get back at someone who treated you so poorly, especially unprovoked.

“Besides,” Romy added, staring over at Daniel from her position on the bed. “We know you don’t know where he is. You’re just the little fish, we want to know who the  _ shark _ is.”

Daniel pieced together the words and understood the four wanted the man who he’d been reporting to on a daily basis. Though Saburo was above all of them, he wasn’t his  _ direct _ boss. Warren knew in his position he was at a crossroads, and either way, he’d end up being a dead man.

“I’m just the supplier, man,” he explained uncomfortably, clearly desperate to get out of this situation. “They needed the funding — you know, I can get cash easily. It’s dirty but money is money.”

“What did they need the money for?” Romy pressed, her fingers beginning to spark. He visibly flinched away from her.

“You think he just told me that?” He asked exasperatedly. Sofia yanked the knife out from its wedge in the chair. “Fuck! Alright, alright — I don’t know, he mentioned something about building new weapons or something…” 

“Tell us something we  _ don’t _ know.”

“He doesn’t tell me anything!” Daniel yelled, clearly frustrated that he couldn’t give them what they wanted. “I exploit the people and make the money, launder it… I don’t get to ask questions.”

“Then name somebody who  _ does  _ know something,” McCree answered. 

“I can show him to you,” he answered. “Let me out and I’ll show you!”

McCree scoffed. “Nice try.”

“No,  _ really _ ,” he urged, tilting his head downwards as a gesture. “On my phone. There’s a picture — I don’t know his name, but he’s a… he’s my superior, technically.”

Sofia reached forwards into his jacket breast pocket and pulled out his phone, holding it up to his face so that it would scan him and unlock. 

“Tell me where,” she urged, waiting for his instructions. He led her through his phone, to which she stumbled across a series of images dating back to a month ago of him signing a document, and then a tanned man across from him proceeded to do the same. It appeared to be picture evidence of some sort of conference, or agreement. “So you gave this man money?”

Daniel nodded in response.

“So this man has to be directly in contact with Saburo,” Sofia said, glancing over at Romy who seemed satisfied with the images she was seeing. She didn’t recognise the man himself — but her dad had made a lot of connections in the past few weeks, probably out of desperation. Sofia turned back to Daniel, sliding his phone back into his blazer. “Thanks, Daniel.”

Jesse was already calling in the information to Overwatch, who set off a crew to pick up and arrest Daniel, considering they now had verbal evidence of the illegal activity he was a part of. Realising that he was going away was almost relieving to him — at least now he had some sort of safety from Saburo who’d be bound to have him killed once he realised critical information had been leaked. 

The four of them stood silently on the motel balcony, watching as Daniel was whisked away in a hovercraft, his hands still tied tight behind his back. Reyes stood at the base of the craft, saluting them for a brief moment before disappearing back into the station and whizzing away into the sky. 


	18. Tension

**Los Angeles Apartment  
** **Three Days Later  
** **5:07AM**

_Romy comes to an understanding that she’s dreaming when she realises she’s, once again, bound to a seat in a familiar, dark, damp place. Growing up with the trauma from her childhood torture looming over her, she’d often revisited her sickening memories in the form of dreams in her younger days. And, though she’d never fully recover from it, at least now she knew how to cope and learn from her pain._

_“I hope you realise you’re here because you’re stubborn.”_

_Romy would speak if she were able to._

_“Now you’re working for the good guys you’ve lost yourself. At least I knew who I was.”_

_The girl speaking to her is barely visible, but her features are still somewhat easy to make out in the darkness. Her hair is long, disheveled and jet black, and her face gives away just how young she is. Romy instantaneously comes to the understanding that the one facing her is her younger self, quite obviously._

_Her black-haired self is clothed in rags with burns, cuts, bruises, and various other marks and contusions littering her skin. Despite this, the girl stands tall and proud -- purposefully unafraid and confident._

_“Stop trying to be something that you’re not and embrace who you are.”_

_“How am I supposed to embrace who I am without control? How am I supposed to avoid killing one of my friends? Life isn’t the same as it used to be. I can’t just torch everything in my path anymore.”_

_“Our power is supposed to rule us,” came the answer. “That’s how it should be. But you refuse to allow it to emerge.”_

_“You’re wrong,” the eldest answered with a scowl. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”_

_“I know exactly what I’m talking about,” young Romy snapped back, raising her arms as the crackle of her power began to manifest around them, starting from her hands. “Look at you now, you’re weak and pathetic. You would have been more powerful by now, had you stayed by your family’s side.”_

_The words struck a nerve, and she immediately felt the coil of fury and resentment burning within her. “Shut the fuck up!” It left as a scream, the pent-up frustration desperate to be released._

_“You left your mother and brother to his evil.”_

_“Who knows what he’s done to them.”_

_“They could be dead because of you.”_

Romy sat up in her bed, a thick layer of sweat coating her entire body. Even though she didn’t feel much of the heat, she could tell that she was burning up. The soaked bed beneath her made her cringe, and she slowly pushed herself out of it and made her way towards the ensuite bathroom.

In the bathroom, Romy ran the water until it was ice cold. Once she'd splashed it all around her face, she observed herself in the mirror. Her hair was still a vibrant red, though her black roots were beginning to show a lot more evidently. Her face was weathered with stress, bags all too deep and dark under her eyes. With a swift moment, she reached over for her comb and brushed back her locks, pulling them into a pigtail with a hair-tie. 

It was early in the morning, early enough that the redhead could get away with not going back to sleep. The view from her shared room was stunning in the dawn light and, lucky for Sofia's sleeping self, the sun rose from the opposite side of the apartment, which meant the countless buildings reflected a soft orange glow that made it all the more breath-taking.

Romy forced her eyes away from her window eventually, soon traipsing her way towards the hallway. As she stepped into the kitchen, she rubbed her eyes and gave a slight yawn, spending the next few minutes, in her half-awake daze, waiting for her coffee to be ready. The slight hum and whirr of the machine was quiet enough that it wouldn’t disturb any of her sleeping friends, and loud enough that it began to annoy her into waking up even more.

The view of Los Angeles’ center was ten times better when observing from the apartment's mini-balcony. Romy, warm mug in hand, observed quietly from her seat on the bench outside their glass doors. 

“Your black hair is making a return,” came a calm voice from behind her. 

Romy smiled behind the rim of her mug, swallowing quickly to respond. “I don’t have the energy to redye it yet.” Her gaze averted to the side as the man behind her approached closer, his footsteps silent. “Training again?”

He slowly sat down beside her, picking at the frayed edges of his basketball shorts. “It keeps me busy.”

The cool, morning wind blew over them, a relaxing sensation against the usual harsh Californian summer heat. She’d only assumed he’d been training because other than the occasional time the four of them hung out, it appeared to be Genji’s favourite past time. Romy wondered if it was similar to him as it was to her in the sense of a distraction, an addiction, or an easy escape. 

“Yeah,” Romy softly agreed, wrapping her chilled fingers around the warmth of her porcelain mug. “I’m going _nuts_ waiting for them to figure out who that man is.”

She referred to the image they’d been given from Daniel when they’d interrogated him. She was almost certain there was more information he’d withheld from them, but they’d gotten enough to manage, but she still couldn’t help but think they were clutching to straws when their opposition was breathing down their neck. 

“Is that why you’re awake so early?” Genji questioned, noting that it was unusual for Romy to be up at this time. 

She considered lying and agreeing with him, but her words had already caught in her throat, a clear indication that she was hesitating. She heaved a breath, and shrugged. “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh — I’m sorry. Did you want to talk about it?” He pried, his voice full of a genuinity so pure yet foreign of him that the French girl almost felt _shy_ . She decided quickly that _no_ , she didn’t, so she shook her head softly.

“That’s alright,” she said. Sometimes you just had to figure things out by yourself, rather than relying on others to guide you. It was an empowering thought, at least. “But thank you, really.”

He nodded once in acknowledgment, and they sat together in a comfortable silence for a few, passing moments. His bionic arm brushed against hers, but she daren’t move. For the first time in a long time, she felt relaxed — even if the nightmare still lingered in her mind, she didn’t exactly feel _alone_. 

It was a few hours before the other started to stir from their slumber, in which time Genji had left to go shower and hadn’t returned downstairs until they were collectively summoned by the ringing of the holotab, where Gabe’s contact number and icon pulsed on the screen. Romy sighed, her empty mug still tight in her white-knuckled hand. She almost expected to be let down, but answered all the same when everybody gathered on the sofa.

Gabe’s face seemed to sparkle playfully on the other end, indicating he had at least something to share.

“I hope you’re not _too_ comfortable up in LA,” he began, his face dimly lit with the soft, blue technological light from the devices surrounding him — other than that the lights in his office appeared to be off, completely. 

They all exchanged a look of confusion but didn’t interrupt him as he opened his mouth to continue, the sound of him flipping through papers evident from outside of the video footage. The bags under his eyes were prominent from this angle, and they couldn’t help but wonder what stress he’d had to deal with whilst they’d been lounging in California. 

“We managed to scan the image from the phone you confiscated,” Gabriel continued, to which he displayed the image on the screen to them, which they all squinted their eyes at as the displayed footage became slightly pixelated. “His name is Javier Garcia. We suspected he’d be in the US… turns out he up and moved his business exactly two days after your first mission.”

“You think he’s running?” Jesse asked. “Or just a coincidence?”

“How much of a coincidence _could_ it be?” Gabriel huffed, though he appeared to sag in defeat. “At this point, we’re clutching at straws — but I have a good feeling,” he pressed on, to which he tapped away at his keyboard. “There’s been sightings of him down in Mexico, Dorado.” 

Sofia’s crossed arms suddenly became rigid. “You mean—?”

“Yup,” Gabe interrupted, already knowing what she was about to say. Overwatch had scouted Sofia straight from her hometown — that being Dorado, Mexico. She didn’t think of it often, only because sadly there wasn’t much there left to be thought about. It was a painful memory and only revisited in the late hours of the night if she was struggling to sleep. Thankfully in Overwatch, she had a few distractions. “We’ll be splitting the team, however.”

Everybody frowned in questioning. 

“Sofia and McCree — we’re sending you off to Dorado tomorrow night. Genji and Romy, on the other hand… you two sit tight.”

“What? Why?” Romy immediately said, an iciness to her tone. Knowing that she’d be stuck in the same city whilst her two of her closest friends were sent off on what seemed to be a dangerous mission didn’t _sit_ right with her. This was _her_ fight. She wanted to be a part of it. 

“We’ve got reason to believe there’s still threats in multiple Californian locations… that’ll be your job.” He said firmly, merely silencing her as she pressed her lips together in affirmation. 

“So… we’re looking for this guy in the picture, correct?” Sofia pressed on. 

Gabe nodded in response. “Yes. But not only that — figure out what he’s ‘offering’ to Gasai. Looking into his name, he has _no_ background material. He’s basically a walking ghost. No businesses, no trails… we were lucky to get that image from our friend Daniel.”

“He’s definitely got something to hide,” Genji commented, to which everybody nodded and hummed with agreement. _That_ much was obvious, at least. “Perhaps he wiped his information only recently. Saburo Gasai has made some dramatic changes since he’s noticed we’re breathing down his neck.”

Gabe shrugged. “Either way — we can’t let him slip through our fingers. We’re _so_ close.”

“I can find him,” Sofia confirmed, nodding confidently.

It was at that point that Gabriel’s face appeared to strain with stress and almost desperation, but not one of them thought it professional to comment on it. There were so many signs that he was under a lot of pressure, perhaps from his other superiors. Sofia felt somewhat responsible for the added tension from what went down in Paris, but hoped they’d be able to reign everything back in with another successful mission. 

“Stay sharp, soldiers,” Gabriel then said, indicating he was finalising the conference call. “Hopefully I’ll be seeing you back at the base soon. It’s _too_ quiet around here nowadays without you starting some kinda trouble.”

They smiled and saluted simultaneously as the holocall zipped to an end, leaving them staring at the wall rather than the static video that had taken up the space previously. The atmosphere felt uncomfortably on edge, possibly due to the fact that they never felt they could settle before they were thrown into new waters. LA was almost becoming Romy’s favourite place to be — the apartment complex was starting to feel like a home, surrounded by her closest friends and loved ones, almost like a place she both physically and mentally got away from her father's grip. Sadly, he’d still managed to claw his way back in when her powers had been reduced to almost nothing. 

Sofia was the first to move, and she silently made her way to her room, feigning disinterest in starting a conversation with anyone. Her demeanour came across icy and everybody appeared to notice it as they watched her walk away.

“Damn, that was cold,” Romy commented, wondering what she had to be bothered about. She didn’t think of it in a shallow way, she was just simply curious as to what had tipped her over the edge. Although all four of them were close, they didn’t _often_ talk about their feelings, and it was usually shared privately or not at all. Romy had had her outbursts and Sofia had cried her soul out all but once in the sixth-month period they’d all gotten to know each other, and the two boys didn’t really care to show much emotion, they just _dealt_ with it. So to see Sofia clearly pissed off was definitely out of the blue for all of them. “Should I go check on her?”

“Nah… let her cool off,” McCree creased his brows, almost as if he _knew_ what had aggravated her, or at least had an idea of such. Regardless, he’d gotten to know her to the extent that he knew she needed to be alone — on top of the fact that he was quite an emotionally sensitive man. “Though I supposed we should start packin’ soon..?” 

Romy visibly shuddered. “It just feels _wrong_. I know that this is part of the job but I’m almost a little disappointed that you have to leave on such short notice.”

“You’ll get used to it, with time,” Genji reassured her, McCree following his statement with a solemn nod. “In fact, I quite enjoy it. There’s something beautiful about exploring new and unseen places.”

“I never thought about it like that.” Romy hummed, appreciating that he’d shown her a new, different angle — a positive and almost exciting one. In her lifetime, she’d gone on plenty of business trips with her family, or ‘vacations’ as her father liked to disguise them as when she was younger. She’d moved house approximately twelve times, jumping from country to country — it was something she never understood until she realised that her father's business was in fact illegal and he’d done it as a means to escape any suspecting eyes. Eventually, he became powerful enough that the smell of money would distract any governing body from his crimes. Of course, that was until Overwatch was founded. “Maybe I just wish I could finally settle down, you know?”

Jesse couldn’t help but laugh. “Ain’t that the dream.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence before they all eventually shuffled around to move, shaken by the distracting fact that they were _starving_. They enjoyed an easy lunch together, to which Sofia still didn’t show.

“I’m starting to think this is our ‘thing’ now,” Romy scoffed, watching as McCree served up a plate of food meant for the absent girl. He simply smirked in response, unable to shut down her claim but not feeling the need to either. They all looked after one another, and small acts as such could be all it needed to keep each other afloat sometimes. “She’s a big girl you know — she can make her own food.”

He shrugged, balancing the plate on his flat hand. “Well, maybe I just _wanted_ to.”

Romy smiled, feeling a friendly warmth in her veins as she stared after him, watching him make his way down towards Sofia’s room. She turned to Genji who absent-mindedly sipped from his cup of water and checked out the latest news on his holo-tablet.

“He’s totally into her, right?” Romy suggested cheekily, tapping her fingers on her face as she rested her chin in her palms. 

Genji needn’t look up to answer her, and his creeping smile was almost enough to show he acknowledged her words. “ _Totally_.” He accentuated, mimicking her tone of voice. He didn’t care much for such topics, but he couldn’t help but find some humour in the situation, considering his friend wasn’t usually the smitten type. “Although I’m sure he’s just being a good friend.”

She seemed unconvinced by his comment but was well aware that there was nothing going on between her two friends. It was almost a little hard to imagine, considering Sofia didn’t seem to be the romantic type.

Romy stared at Genji for a short while, as if expecting him to say something else, though he appeared to become distracted by something on the holo-tablet in his hand. His flesh arm flexed as he raised the glass to his mouth, and she barely caught herself staring before she was able to professionally catch herself and glance away, straightening her posture to stand upright. 

“So… what does the day hold for you?” She questioned, her words almost skipping over themselves. 

“Training.”

She perked her brows. “Again?” She asked, to which he nodded. “Mind if I join you?” 

“Of course,” he agreed, happy for her to accompany him. He swigged the last of the water from his glass, placing it down with purpose as if he suddenly wanted nothing more than to get moving even though only moments ago he was happily distracted by the news. “Let’s go, then.”

Romy quickly changed into more appropriate gear before meeting Genji in the apartment-block gym, which luckily was almost empty, spare for two women who ran on treadmills side by side. He guided her towards an open space, where weights, skipping ropes, and exercise balls were dotted around them, abandoned messily by earlier gym attendees. 

“When’s the last time you trained?” He questioned, referring to how prior to the drug removal process that she’d been a little lackluster when it came to making it to the gym and training rooms. She still did, only less often than usual, and usually by herself. 

Romy seemed to take offense and scoffed. “Hey, _ninja_ , no matter how long a break I take I’ll still be able to kick your ass.”

He smirked, stretching his arms over his broad chest before reaching for the boxing tape in his short pockets. “Is that so? Why don’t you prove it?”

“ _Make_ me,” she retorted, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms in a competitive manner. Genji breathed a deep laugh, clenching his fists as he tore the binding from his knuckles, the white tape stretching comfortably around his hand. “And _don’t_ go easy on me.”

“Alright — but don’t forget you asked for it,” he remarked teasingly, swiping the side of his mouth with his thumb as if to cover his amused lips before he regained his more typical, serious expression. They immediately lunged for one another, holding themselves in a tight arm-lock as their faces became mere centimeters from touching, their breath gracing each other's lips. “You know you shouldn’t get distracted, _right_?”

Before she could answer, he pushed her backwards and fired a series of skilled kicks in her direction that she was luckily able to stabilise herself before blocking them. She feigned a wince when one of his kicks made impact and he immediately froze up, reaching over tentatively with the fear that he might’ve taken it too far for their first time sparring in a while.

She caught his hand in a swift grab and twisted his wrist over, holding it behind his back and leaning close to his ear with a shit-eating smirk on her face. 

“You should try taking a little of your own advice, _Genji_.” She said under her breath, enjoying herself a little too much when he grunted against the pressure of his wrist twisting behind his back — though if anybody knew Genji even the slightest amount they knew he’d work his way out of it, just like he always did.

He managed to counter her attack effectively sending them both into a flurry of evenly-matched attacks, heavy and fast punches, elbow blocks and kicks being exchanged between them. They both worked up a significant sweat, but the smell of stubbornness hung in the air as both of them showed no signs of exhaustion or backing down even if the burn of lactic acid started to make an effect, even in what was left of Genji’s flesh form. 

Unfortunately for Romy, his enhancements _always_ gave him the upper hand. It was something he acknowledged yet still insisted that his performance was all skill — not that it was something Romy had anything to say about when he pinned her to the ground.

“You know the options,” he breathed, his shining face reflecting his inflated ego from clearly winning _another_ sparring session. “You can either tap out now, or struggle.”

She heaved a breath, relaxing her tense, fighting muscles. “Fine. But I’m not sure who the winner is at this angle.”

He froze for a moment and she panicked, worrying that her off-hand teasing comment was ill-received, but he couldn’t suppress a shot of laughter before he backed up and offered her a hand to pull her to her feet. They would’ve been lost in the strange moment together if it weren’t for the obviously lingering eyes from the two women previously running on the treadmills, who left with muttered words and bitter faces. Both Romy and Genji didn’t take notice — drama and judgement was something that slid over them like wind at this point.

“Alright, fine — I’ll admit you had me there,” Romy sighed, catching her breath as she swept stray strands of hair from her damp forehead. She nudged him in his ribs, her smile only widening. “I’ll get you next time, though. I _swear_ on it.”

“I’m sure you’ve sworn on defeating me many a time,” he shot back, “though I can count on my fingers how many times you’ve won a fight against me.”

“Yeah, yeah, shut your mouth,” she teased, grabbing her silicone water bottle and gesturing for him to follow her as she made her way to the exit door. 

Genji paused for a moment to retrieve his towel from the floor, strewn aside thoughtlessly before their sparring session. He watched as she walked away, his brows creasing as he felt his breath catch in his throat for a minute, his tongue dry. Swallowing against the friction of his mouth, his feet seemed to move on auto-pilot as he followed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really love the parallels in this fic and how relationships and friendships develop so differently between each character. i hope y'all notice ;)
> 
> lemme know if you guys enjoyed this one :eyes:
> 
> -kat


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